U.CD.  LIBRARY 


LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
DAVIS 


Seeking  the  Best 


DEDICATED  TO   THE  NEGRO  YOUTH 

An  Autobiography,  Entertaining,  Instructive,  and  Inspiring,  Ten. 

Chapters  of  True  Stories  and  Interesting  Episodes  in  the  life 

Of  the  Author,     Bits  of  History  in  Verse,  or  a  Dream  of 

Freedom  Realized,    A  Poem  modeled  after  the  style 

of  Hiawatha,  depicting  the  life  and  sufferings  of  the 

Negro  from   the  time    he  was    brought   to 

American  shores  until  he  had  obtained  his 

freedom  at  the  close  of  the  Civil  War, 
$fai  Essays  and  Poems,  charming  in  ar 

rangement,  beautiful  and  instruc 
tive  in  thought,  full  of  whole 
some  advice  to  all.  A  cred 
it  to  literature,  and 
worthy  of  a  place 
on  the  shelves 
of  any  library 

ALL  IN  ONE  VOLUME 


FIFTH    EDITION 

BY 
OTIS  M.  SHACKELFORD,  A.B. 

ILLUSTRATED  BY  GRANT  TAYES 


KANSAS  CITY,  Mo. 

BURTON  PUBLISHING  CO. 

I9II 


LIBRARY 

i**  Brlml^lm  I 


COPYRIGHTED  1909 

BY 
OTIS   M.   SHACKELFORD. 


INDEX. 

Page. 

INTRODUCTION 7 

SEEKING  THE  BEST 11 

BITS  OF  HISTORY  IN  VERSE . ..  79 

ESSAYS  : 

Vital  Factors  in  the  Growth  of  Civilization 113 

The  Perpetuity  of  the  Race 120 

Selfishness 123 

Superstition,  Envy,  and  Mistrust 12S 

Education 126 

Let  Us  Stop  and  Consider 128 

A  Practical  Sermon 130 

Think,  Watch,  and  Act 132 

We  Must  Make  Friends 135 

The  Triple  Alliance  of  Manhood 138 

POEMS  : 

Music 55 

Are  They   Dreams? 56 

The  Lincoln   Institute   Fire 149 

The  Poets 151 

Our  Souls 153 

A  Lover's  Plea 155 

5 


5 


INDEX. 


POEMS  :  Page. 

The  Wail  of  the  Wanderer 157 

The  Passing  of  Spain 159 

A  Tribute  to  Lincoln  Institute 160 

The  Deplorable  End  of  a  Ten-Cent  Show 162 

Life  a  Dream 169 

Speak 171 

The  Old  Soldiers— Let  Them  Talk 172 

Danger  to  China 174 

Time  the  Healer 175 

Deeds  Superlative  176 

Class  Poem  177 

EDITORIAL  COMMENTS 178 


INTRODUCTION. 


On  the  15th  of  March,  1895,  I  had  scribbled 
some  verses  about  the  burning  of  the  old  Lincoln 
Institute  building  and  handed  them  to  the  editor 
of  the  Evening  Courier,  with  whom  I  was  ac 
quainted,  for  correction.  And  fancy  my  surprise 
when  the  next  evening  the  following  article 
appeared : 

"Jefferson  City  is  deservedly  famous  for  the 
intellectual  attainments  of  her  people  generally 
and  individually.  But  she  can  now  ^  boast  of  a 
production  to  which  no  other  city  in  this  sec 
tion  of  the  country  can  make  a  claim.  The  writ 
er  is  a  Negro  and  a  student  of  Lincoln  Institute. 
He  is  accomplished  in  Greek,  Latin,  German,  and 
the  English  language.  He  is  an  ardent  devotee 
of  the  Muse,  and  the  verses  printed  below  are  a 
fair  illustration  of  his  genius." 

Perhaps  the  above  article  and  the  poem,  whicK 
will  be  found  in  another  part,  give  the  impression 
that  I  am  somewhat  of  a  scholar  and  poet.  I  lay 
no  special  claims  to  scholarship  or  an  ability  to 
write  verse.  But  I  am  a  lover  and  a  "would-be" 
7 


8  INTRODUCTION. 

promoter  of  literature,  realizing  as  I  do  its  ethi 
cal  value  and  its  effect  upon  the  culture,  refine 
ment,  and  education  of  a  people ;  realizing  as  I  do 
that  we  are  in  great  need  of  a  literature  and  his 
tory,  that  our  deeds  and  achievements  are  being 
neglected  and  obliterated  by  a  relentless  past,  and 
that  if  someone  does  not  come  to  the  rescue  and 
perpetuate  our  memory  in  letters,  our  past  will 
indeed  be  a  thing  of  the  past.  We  must  have 
poets  to  sing  of  our  deeds,  and  we  must  have 
historians  to  record  them. 

It  is  unfair  and  unreasonable  for  us  to  expect 
men  of  the  other  race  to  do  this.  They  have  not 
the  time.  They  need  their  brain  and  intellect  for 
other  things.  Their  emotions  and  feelings  do 
not  run  in  this  direction.  John  Greenleaf  Whit- 
tier,  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe,  Wendell  Phillips, 
and  others  of  that  school,  have  long  since  been 
dead.  We  are  left  alone  to  tell  our  own  tales  of 
woe  and  to  sing  our  own  songs  of  gladness.  We 
cannot  longer  afford  to  neglect  or  to  set  aside 
the  cultivation  of  literature. 

We  should  begin  at  once  to  teach  our  children 
how  essential  it  is  to  the  culture  and  refinement 
of  a  people.  We  should  look  around  about  our 
school-rooms  into  the  innocent  little  faces  that 
are  peering  angelicallv  into  ours,  and  there  see 


INTRODUCTION.  9 

if  we  can  discover  some  Emersons,  Shakespeares, 
Miltons,  Bryants,  or  Tennysons  in  embryo.  If 
we  should  find  one  child  with  latent  literary 
power,  one  child  with  poetic  inspiration,  as  it 
were,  it  is  our  duty  to  interest  ourselves  in  him, 
nurse  him  and  foster  that  spirit  within  him;  for 
the  value  of  one  such  to  the  race  and  to  the 
world  cannot  be  over-estimated. 

"Full  many  a  gem  of  purest  ray  serene 

The  dark  un fathomed  caves  of  ocean  bear; 
Full  many  a  flower  is  born  to  blush  unseen 
And  waste  its  sweetness  on  the  desert  air." 

This  may  be  true  of  some  of  the  little  folk 
we  meet  in  our  school-rooms  daily.  We  would 
not  have  them  grow  up  as  "mute  inglorious 
Miltons";  we  would  not  have  them  "waste  their 
sweetness  on  the  desert  air."  We  need  their  serv 
ices.  Our  race  is  in  great  need  of  such  talent, 
and  our  posterity  for  a  history  is  dependent 
upon  it. 

Such  it  is,  my  friends,  that  brings  forth  this 
tedious  yet  pleasing  effort  on  my  part.  And 
though  I  have  some  doubts  as  to  the  perfection 
of  thought  and  precision  of  diction,  I  find  no 
small  degree  of  pleasure  in  presenting  it.  And 
though  it  may  be  ignored  and  severely  criticised 


10  INTRODUCTION. 

by  some,  though  its  sales  may  not  net  one  penny 
of  gain,  and  though  in  future  years  I  may  not  be 
permitted  to  add  to  it  or  write  another,  I  shall  go 
down  to  the  "tongueless  silence  of  the  dreamless 
dust"  happy  and  proud  in  the  thought  of  having 
contributed,  though  imperfect  it  may  be,  one 
small  volume  to  the  literature  of  my  race. 

THE  AUTHOR. 


'A  Poet  in  Embryo.' 


FOREWORD  TO  FOURTH  EDITION 

We  desire  at  this  time  to  thank  the  generous  pub. 
lie  for  the  liberal  support  it  has  given  the  book  "Seek 
ing  the  Best,"  since  its  first  appearance.  The  people 
seem  to  be  looking  for  just  such  a  work  as  we  are 
offering. 

Everywhere  in  our  travels  during  the  past  year 
we  have  met  with  a  success  that  did  not  at  first  seem 
possible.  And  people  and  papers  of  our  own  and 
other  races  who  are  able  to  criticise  and  judge,  have 
encouraged  and  inspired  us  to  go  on  in  the  needful 
work.  We  can  but  feel  proud  when  we  realize  the 
good  that  is  being  done  through  our  publication  for 
the  youth  of  our  own  race. 

We  are  told  that  often  entire  programs  of  schools 
and  literary  societies  are  made  up  from  the  contents 
of  this  book.  That  the  lessons  of  patience  and  perse- 
verence  taught  are  firmly  fixed  in  youthful  minds  and 
hearts.  That  the  author  is  a  real  benefactor  to  his 
race,  and  deserves  much  credit  for  the  labor  and  skill 
wrought  in  his  work 

We  feel  that  the  continued  success  and  prosperi 
ty  of  the  book  demands  the  publication  of  this  Fourth 
Edition.  So  "Seeking  the  Best"  appears  again  for 
the  fourth  time. 

Yours  with  thanks, 

THE  AUTHOR. 


FORWARD  TO  THE  FIFTH  EDITION 

"  Seeking  the  Best "  continues  to  prosper,  and  it 
gives  us  much  pleasure  to  present  this,  the  fifth  edi 
tion  of  the  book  revised  and  illustrated.  With  new 
features  we  are  sure  that  it  will  be  hailed  as  heartily 
by  an  approving  public  in  the  future  as  it  has  been  in 
the  past.  Being  a  creation  purely  original,  conceived 
in  the  brain  of  a  colored  writer,  and  pictured  by  the 
skillful  hand  of  a  colored  artist,  it  is  readily  seen  to  be 
in  many  respects  unique.  So  rare  a  combination  com 
mands  immediate  attention,  and  naturally  meets  the 
approval  and  appreciation  of  all  lovers  of  literature 
and  art. 

We  are  indebted  to  the  young  and  talented  artist, 
Mr.  Grant  Tayes,  for  the  pen  sketches  found  in  the 
book.  He  is  a  genius  in  his  work,  and  no  doubt  will 
some  day  find  the  place  which  he  deserves  in  the 
artistic  world. 

We  cannot  praise  him  too  highly  or  do  too  much 
to  encourage  him  in  this  great  work  of  uplift. 

Again  we  extend  thanks  to  patrons  for  past  favors. 
Youri  truly, 

— THE  AUTHOR. 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Author's  Portrait  Frontice  Piece 

A  Poet  in  Embryo  Facing  Page     10 

We  Played  Together  Almost  Con 
stantly  16 

There  was  a  Real  Negro  Band  "         "         21 

At  the  end  of  First  Year  I  Went  "          "          33 

Home 

The  Evening  Star  Quartet  37 

I  was  Left  to  Foot  it  Alone  46 

The  House  in  Which  I  Taught  "         "         50 

I  Stood  Rapt  in     Wonder   and 

Amazement  62 

See  Him   on    the  Old    Plantation       ':         "         88 

Still  They  Held  Their  Secret  Meet 
ings  95 

And  They'd  Stay   'Till  Day  was 

Breaking  100 

Say  Not  Farewell  My  Angel  Love         "         "       155 

We  Once  Were  Pure  as  the  Morn 
ing  Dew  158 

Love   You   Me?    Have   I    Your 

Heart?  "        "      171 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 
My  Little  White  Companion. — The  Colored  Band. 

CHAPTER  II. 

The  Barber  Shop.— The  Village  Orchestra.— I  Hear  the 
Call. 

CHAPTER  III. 
My  Father's  Lecture.— Off  to  School.— Search  for  Work. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

At  School.— My  Return  Home.— The  Death  of  My  White 
Companion. 

CHAPTER  V. 

The  Evening  Star  Quartet.  — The  Sick  Tenor.— The 
Great  White  City. 

CHAPTER  VI. 

My  Last  Year  in  School. — A  Good  Record  and  a  Satis 
factory  Graduation. 

CHAPTER  VII. 

In  Search  of  a  Position  as  Teacher. — The  County  Super 
visor. — My  Tactless  Companion. — Footing  It  through 
the  Forest. — A  Lecture. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

A  Six-Months  School  Secured,  at  Thirty  Dollars  per 
Month. — My  Stay  in  St.  Louis  County. 
13 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Entering  the  Literary  Field.— A  "Write-up"  in  the  Post- 
Dispatch. 

CHAPTER  X. 

A  Trip  to  California.— The  Start.— The  Jolly  49th.— In 
Colorado. — The  Eden  of  the  World.— Landing  of  the 
Troops  in  Frisco. — Over  Two  Thousand  Miles  from 
Home. — Crossing  the  Gulf. — Viewing  the  Pacific. — 
The  Cliff  House.— The  Seals.— In  Chinatown.— The 
Tennessee  Soldiers. — Our  Return. — A  Member  of  the 
Pickaninny  Band.  —  Our  Splendid  Equipment. — 
Through  Southern  States  and  Cities. — The  Celebra 
tion  at  Nashville. — Back  to  St.  Louis. 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Teaching  in  My  Alma  Mater. — Loyalty. — Delighted  in  the 
Work.— Unique  Methods.— "Football  in  the  Read 
ing  Class."— Summer  Vacations  Spent  in  the  East.— 
Chautauqua. — Boston. 


14 


CHAPTER  I. 


MY  LITTLE  WHITE  COMPANION. 

I  was  born  on  the  26th  day  of  March,  1871,  in 
the  town  of  Tipton,  in  central  Missouri;  a  place 
with  less  than  two  thousand  inhabitants,  and  a 
place  where,  on  account  of  its  smallness  of  size, 
the  social  distinctions,  especially  among  the  boys 
of  Anglo-Saxon  lineage  and  Negro  decent,  were 
not  so  tightly  drawn  as  they  were  in  the  larger 
towns  of  the  Middle  West.  Hence,  at  a  very 
early  age,  I  formed  an  acquaintance  with  one  of 
my  little  white  neighbors,  which  later,  by  con 
stant  association,  grew  into  the  warmest  friend 
ship.  We  became  boon  companions,  and  were 
almost  constantly  in  each  other's  company  when 
we  were  not  at  school  or  doing  chores  at  our  re 
spective  homes.  I  loved  him,  and  I  am  quite  sure 
that  he  thought  more  of  me  than  he  did  of  any 
other  boy,  regardless  of  color,  in  the  town.  But, 
unlike  Mr.  Dubois,  who,  in  "The  Souls  of  Black 
Folk,"  writes  of  his  early  life  among  children  of 
the  other  race,,  and  who  became  shocked  and 


IS 


16  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 

very  much  grieved  on  account  of  the  sudden 
dawning  of  this  awful  truth,  as  he  seemed  to 
think  it,  that  there  were  distinctions  on  account 
of  color,  I  always  knew  of  racial  differences  and 
conducted  myself  accordingly,  and  so  was  saved 
from  much  humiliation  along  this  line.  And  right 
here  permit  me  to  say  that  the  reference  to  my 
association  with  children  of  the  other  race  is 
original  with  me;  that  long  before  "The  Souls 
of  Black  Folk"  was  published,  and  when  "Seek 
ing  the  Best"  was  a  mere  dream,  I  had  conceived 
the  idea  of  weaving  the  name  of  my  little  white 
companion  into  the  threads  of  this  my  life  story 
which  I  am  about  to  relate. 

As  I  have  said  before,  we  played  together  al 
most  constantly,  to  the  exclusion  of  all  others; 
and  after  a  day  of  romping  and  roaming  through 
forests,  wading  through  streams,  swimming  in 
ponds,  fishing  in  creeks,  killing  frogs  and  snakes, 
gathering  fruits  and  flowers,  playing  ball  or  mar 
bles,  robbing  birds'  nests,  and  amusing  ourselves 
in  a  hundred  other  ways  known  only  to  boys,  we 
would  at  last,  when  the  day  was  over  and  the  sun 
had  hid  itself  behind  the  western  hills,  tired  from 
our  daily  pleasures  and  pastimes,  hie  ourselves 
to  some  soft  spot  or  comfortable  place  for  rest 
and  repose.  There  our  minds  would  revert  to 


SEEKING  THE  BEST.  \7. 

the  more  serious  things  of  life,  and  we  would 
discuss  the  future  and  try  to  make  choice  of  the 
most  desirable  trades  and  professions,  and  tell 
what  we  intended  to  do  or  be  when  we  grew  up. 
It  is  perhaps  this  part  of  our  association  which 
in  after  years  has  impressed  me  most,  and  which 
has  made  it  necessary  for  me  to  refer  to  my  lit 
tle  companion  in  writing  this,  the  early  history 
of  my  life. 

I  was  always  a  proud,  ambitious,  high-minded 
child,  and  felt  myself  as  good  and  as  mentally 
capable  as  any  boy  of  the  other  race,  my  little 
companion  not  excepted.  But  he  was  a  few 
months  older  than  I,  and  knew  many  things,  ow 
ing  to  his  home  training  and  environments,  that 
I  had  no  way  of  knowing.  Without  reflecting  on 
my  own  raising,  it  is  only  fair  to  say  that  my 
companion  lived  in  a  home  of  culture  and  refine 
ment  and  had  everything  he  could  wish  for  in  the 
way  of  books  and  music  and  instructive  games 
and  toys.  He  had  two  sisters  and  a  brother,  and 
a  Presbyterian  father  and  mother,  who  idolized 
their  children  and  studied  daily  for  their  happi 
ness  and  amusement.  While  I  was  of  an  inde 
pendent  nature  and  was  the  physical  master  of 
my  companion,  my  character  was  not  strength- 


18  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 

ened  by  the  above-named  advantages,  which  mean 
so  much  in  the  early  life  of  a  boy  or  girl.  My 
home,  though,  was  somewhat  better  than  that 
of  the  average  Negro  at  that  time ;  my  father,  be 
ing  a  preacher  and  a  teacher,  possessed  many  good 
books,  but  not  for  young  minds,  and  he  talked 
education  almost  constantly.  However,  on  ac 
count  of  the  advantages  my  companion  had  over 
me,  I  was  unconsciously  led  and  influenced  by 
him,  and  would  believe  almost  anything  that 
he  would  tell  me.  On  those  occasions  when  we 
would  have  serious  discussions  as  to  our  future 
lives,  I  was  very  often  made  to  feel  discouraged 
on  account  of  the  lowly  condition  of  my  race. 
My  little  companion,  by  misrepresentation,  had 
led  me  to  believe  that  there  was  fio  dignity  in  it 
or  bright  future  for  it.  If  I  should  venture  some 
great  achievement  for  myself  in  a  high  school  or 
college,  he  would  set  me  back  by  saying,  "Col 
ored  people  [he  had  too  much  respect  for  me 
to  say  "niggers"]  do  not  have  colleges."  If  I 
should  speak  of  owning  a  big  store  some  day,  or 
of  venturing  out  upon  commercial  seas,  he  was 
ever  ready  with  the  response,  "Colored  people 
do  not  have  stores."  If  I  should  aspire  to  be  a 
doctor,  a  lawyer,  a  dentist,  or  any  one  of  the  pro 
fessions,  my  ardor  was  always  dampened  by  the 


SEEKING  THE  BEST.  19 

above  expression.  According  to  my  little  com 
panion,  there  was  no  dignified  labor  or  calling 
for  Negroes.  I  could  not  argue  the  question 
with  him,  for  I  had  no  proofs.  This,  in  the  light 
of  all  his  great  possibilities,  made  me  feel  very, 
very  sad  indeed. 

I  was  always  a  great  lover  of  music,  and  on 
one  occasion,  while  myself  and  white  companion 
sat  listening  to  the  sweet  strains  of  the  village 
band,  I  ventured  to  assert  that  when  I  got  to  be 
a  man,  I  was  going  to  join  a  band  and  make  some 
sweet  music  too.  My  companion  promptly  re 
sponded  with  his  ever-ready  reply,  which  was  al 
ways  as  a  dagger  in  my  heart,  "Colored  people  do 
not  have  bands."  The  thrust  this  time  seemed 
to  hurt  me  worse  than  ever  before,  and  I  soon 
left  him ;  but  he  never  knew  the  reason  why.  A 
few  weeks  after  this  incident,  arrangements  for 
a  big  colored  picnic  were  made;  many  visitors, 
were  to  be  in  town,  and  fancy  my  delight  when 
it  was  announced  that  the  Lexington  colored  band 
had  been  engaged  to  furnish  music  for  the  occa^ 
sion.  When  the  day  came,  my  heart  was  made 
to  leap  for  joy ;  for  sure  enough,  there  was  a  real 
Negro  band,  dressed  in  uniform,  with  drums  and 
horns,  playing  just  as  sweetly  and  executing  even 
better  than  our  own  village  band.  I  was  de- 


20  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 

lighted.  This,  indeed,  was  a  balm  poured  over 
the  deep  wound  inflicted  by  my  little  white  com 
panion.  Though  I  never  twitted  him  or  said  a 
word  to  him  about  it,  I  was  satisfied  that  he  did 
not  know  everything  regarding  the  possibilities  of 
my  race.  I  reasoned  further,  that  if  he  were 
mistaken  in  this  one  instance,  it  was  possible  for 
him  to  be  mistaken  in  all  the  rest  of  them. 

I  related  the  band  incident  to  my  mother,  and 
she,  having  a  broader  view  and  more  knowledge 
concerning  these  things  than  either  of  us,  pointed 
out  many  instances  of  Negro  superiority  and  skill, 
and  I  became  satisfied  that  somewhere  in  this 
broad  land  there  were  Negro  lawyers,  doctors, 
musicians,  bankers,  college  professors,  and  skilled 
laborers  just  as  competent  as  those  of  the  other 
race.  This  bit  of  information  soothed  my  feel 
ings  and  made  the  prospects  seem  brighter  for 
me. 

I  never  discussed  these  questions  with  my 
companion  again,  for  I  realized  that  he  had  prej 
udice  in  his  heart,  and  I  pride  in  mine,  and 
though  we  were  only  children  of  tender  years, 
such  discussions  only  caused  a  bitterness  which 
would  poison  friendship.  I  did  not  want  this 
done,  as  we  had  spent  many  happy  hours  together 
and  I  did  not  see  any  reason  why  we  should  not 


SEEKING  THE  BEST.  21 

continue  to  do  so,  provided  we  steered  clear  of 
this  subject,  which  grated  on  our  sensibilities. 
But,  as  we  grew  older,  we  began  naturally  to 
drift  apart  and  were  seen  together  less  often. 
Finally  he  was  old  enough  to  take  a  place  in  his 
father's  store,  and  I  went  to  work  in  a  barber 
shop. 

We  would  meet  on  the  streets  sometimes,  ex 
change  a  few  words,  and  pass  on  to  our  respect 
ive  duties.  But  I  knew  in  my  heart  that  our  close 
intimacy  and  friendship  was  nearly  at  an  end. 


CHAPTER  II. 


IN  THE  BARBER  SHOP. 

I  went  to  work  in  the  barber  shop,  and  while 
there  learned  many  things  that  I  never  knew  be 
fore.  This  shop  was  the  headquarters  for  gossip 
of  all  sorts,  from  a  baseball  game  to  a  village 
scandal.  No  subject,  however  insignificant,  was 
left  undiscussed.  It  was  by  no  means  an  ideal 
place  for  a  fourteen-year-old  boy,  but  it  was  the 
best  I  could  do.  I  endeavored  to  catch  and  store 
away  all  the  useful  things  I  could  hear,  and  to  pay 
no  heed  to  the  frivolous  or  unbecoming.  One  of 
the  best  things  for  me  was  that  the  village  orches 
tra,  of  which  my  uncle  was  leader,  held  its  re 
hearsals  there;  and  I,  being  a  lover  of  music, 
handled  the  instruments,  when  the  barbers  were 
away,  and  by  observation  and  close  attention  to 
all  that  was  said  regarding  scales,  chords,  keys, 
range  and  scope  of  instruments,  was  soon  able 
to  play  on  any  of  them  and  take  part  in  the  or 
chestra  rehearsals.  This  accomplishment  I  found 
to  be  useful  to  me  in  after  years. 

22 


SEEKING  THE  BEST.  23 

I  read  the  daily  papers,  and  thus  kept  in  touch 
with  everything  worth  while  that  was  going  on 
in  the  world.  There  was  always  deep  down  in  my 
heart  a  desire  to  be  somebody  and  to  do  some 
thing  worthy  in  the  world ;  and  often  there  in  the 
shop,  while  others  were  telling  big  tales  and  dis 
cussing  vain  and  frivolous  subjects,  my  mind, 
rapt  in  silent  meditation,  was  planning  how  to 
reach  a  broader  plane,  how  to  ascend  to  a  higher 
life. 

You  have  no  doubt,  dear  reader,  heard  the 
story  of  the  eaglet  that  by  some  mischance  was 
hatched  out  with  a  brood  of  chickens.  One  day, 
while  eating  and  scratching  around  in  the  barn 
yard,  he  heard  high  up  in  the  sky  a  scream  or  cry. 
The  cry  was  that  of  an  American  eagle,  and 
though  the  eaglet  had  never  heard  it  before,  he 
recognized  it  as  a  call  to  come  up  out  of  the  barn 
yard.  He  was  never  again  content  to  live  in  the 
barnyard  with  the  chickens.  Day  by  day  he 
gained  strength  and  his  pinions  developed,  and 
one  day,  while  playing  about  in  the  barnyard  with 
his  companions  which  were  unlike  himself,  he 
heard  that  cry  again.  He  responded  this  time, 
lifting  his  pinions,  he  raised  himself  to  the  fence, 
then  to  the  barn,  and,  looking  about  with  sharp 
eagle  eyes,  he  took  an  upward  flight,  and  began  to 


24  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 

soar  higher  and  higher,  penetrating  farther  and 
farther  into  the  blue  canopy  of  the  heavens,  seek 
ing  his  kind.  He  had  answered  the  call.  While 
in  this  shop  I  heard  the  call,  "Come  up  out  of 
the  barnyard,"  and  the  one  absorbing  question 
with  me  was,  how  to  answer  this  call. 

For  two  years  I  remained  in  this  shop  with 
agreeable  surroundings,  but  unhappy  and  dissat 
isfied,  and  I  wondered  when  and  how  it  all  would 
end ;  for  end  it  must  I  was  quite  sure.  And  one 
day  it  all  did  end,  abruptly  and  unexpectedly. 


CHAPTER  IIL 


MY  FATHER'S  LECTURE. 
It  was  in  the  beginning  of  the  month  of  Sep 
tember,  in  the  year  1889,  that  my  father,  who 

was  making  preparations  to  go  off  and  teach 
school,  called  me  in  and  proceeded  to  give  me  a 
lecture,  as  he  usually  did  on  such  occasions  when 
he  was  leaving  home. 

'Tis  true  that  I  was  a  boy  who  greatly  loved 
out-door  sports  and  amusements,  and  had  spent 
many  and  many  a  day,  not  even  taking  time  to 
eat  my  meals,  in  satisfying  my  intense  desires 
along  this  line.  And  while  I  never  missed  a  day 
from  school,  and  was  always  bright  and  apt  in  my 
books,  and  would  never  attend  rowdy  gatherings 
and  church  festivals,  I  wasn't  the  best  boy  in  the 
world.  I  would  spend  many  idle  hours  standing 
around  a  gang  of  bad  boys,  watching  them  play 
cards  or  throw  dice,  though  I  would  never  in 
dulge  myself.  Besides,  these  fellows  thought 
quite  a  deal  of  me,  and  respected  me  too  much  to 
ask  me  to  take  part  in  any  of  their  games  where 

-* 

25 


26  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 

gambling  was  involved.  They  knew  that  I  was 
a  good  fellow,  and  very  often,  when  in  trouble, 
would  seek  my  counsel.  I  would  always  try  to 
set  a  good  example.  I  knew  how  far  to  go  in 
mischief,  and  would  stop  when  the  limit  was 
reached. 

So,  when  my  father  called  me  in  and  lectured 
me  in  such  a  manner  as  he  did,  I  was  very  much 
hurt  and  my  heart  was  filled  with  resentment ;  for 
I  was  doing  the  very  best  I  could,  considering  my 
environments  and  chances  in  a  town  like  Tipton. 
He  said  many  things  which  grieved  me,  and  con 
cluded  with  the  climax  that  I  was  of  no  account 
and  never  would  be.  I  said  nothing.  My  heart 
was  too  full  to  explain  or  in  any  way  try  to  vin 
dicate  myself.  In  this  condition  he  left  me  and 
went  away,  to  begin  his  school  the  following 
Monday  morning.  I  brooded  over  what  he  said 
to  me  the  rest  of  the  day,  and  that  night  I  con 
cluded  that  ere  he  should  return  at  the  end  of  the 
week  I  would  be  gone.  I  had  a  very  independent 
spirit,  which  he  himself  had  bequeathed  to  me  at 
birth. 

My  father  and  I  had  been  talking  over  the 
matter  of  attending  school  somewhere  for  two  or 
three  years,  without  reaching  any  definite  con 
clusion  ;  my  father  always  saying,  as  the  time  for 


SEEKING  THE  BEST.  2* 

preparation  approached,  "Well,  you  had  better 
wait  another  year."  So,  smarting  under  the  se 
vere  tongue-lashing  that  he  had  given  me,  I 
determined  to  take  the  matter  of  going  off  to 
school  into  my  own  hands,  and,  calling  one  of  my 
boy  friends  to  me,  I  told  him  of  my  intention.  He 
asked  me  when  I  was  going,  and  added  that  he 
would  go  along  with  me  for  company.  I  was 
glad  of  his  offer,  for  I  had  never  been  away  from 
home,  and  I  knew  my  companion  could  be  of 
much  service  to  me,  for  he  was  a  newsboy,  boot 
black,  and  apple-peddler,  and  knew  a  great  deal 
about  travel,  having  "bummed"  his  way  to  Kan 
sas  City  and  St.  Louis  numbers  of  times. 

On  this  dignified  occasion,  however,  it  was 
not  our  intention  to  beat  our  way,  but  we  would 
go  down  on  the  local  freight.  My  companion 
knew  the  conductor,  and  he  thought  we  could 
talk  him  into  giving  us  a  free  ride  to  Jefferson 
City,  as  that  would  be  our  destination.  Thus  we 
agreed,  and  the  next  morning  I  told  my  mother 
that  I  was  going  to  Jefferson  City  to  hunt  a 
place  to  work  and  go  to  school.  She  tried  to  per 
suade  me  not  to  go  until  my  father  returned  at 
the  end  of  the  week ;  but  my  mind  was  made  up, 
and  off  I  started. 

Myself  and  companion  boarded  the  train  and 


28  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 

we  pulled  out;  as  we  had  anticipated,  the  con 
ductor  was  kind  to  us  and  allowed  us  to  make  the 
trip  free  of  charge.  In  return  for  his  kindness, 
we  sang  what  songs  we  knew  for  him,  and  my 
companion  danced  a  jig,  and  the  conductor  was 
well  pleased  with  our  entertainment. 

We  reached  Jefferson  City  late  in  the  after 
noon,  and  walked  around  for  some  time  in  quest 
of  a  place  to  spend  the  night.  Finally,  a  friendly 
man  directed  us  to  the  Institute,  telling  us  to  see 
President  Page.  We  went  as  directed,  and  after 
we  had  gone  quite  through  the  girls*  dormitory 
and  peeked  in  nearly  all  of  the  rooms,  someone 
took  us  in  charge  and  escorted  us  to  the  Presi 
dent's  office.  The  President  was  kind,  and  asked 
if  we  had  had  supper,  to  which  we  replied  that  we 
had,  though  we  had  not.  He  then  told  us  to  go 
over  to  the  boys'  dormitory  and  a  teacher  would 
give  us  lodging  for  the  night.  We  did  so,  but 
had  to  sit  around  for  some  time  before  anything 
was  done  for  us.  Finally,  at  a  very  late  hour,  a 
teacher  assigned  us  to  our  rooms. 

I  had  hoped  that  myself  and  companion  could 
spend  the  night  together,  but  not  so.  I  was  sent 
to  be  the  bed-fellow  of  one  who  was  in  the  Senior 
class.  He  was  large  of  statue,  very  dark  in  com 
plexion,  and  not  good-looking,  but  fine  in  conver- 


SEEKING  THE  BEST.  29 

sation  and  charming  in  personality.  He  seemed 
to  be  steeped  in  knowledge.  From  that  one 
night's  association  I  observed  that  he  was  very 
popular  and  seemed  to  be  somewhat  of  a  dictator. 
I  found  out  further,  that  thus  far  he  had  worked 
his  way  through  school,  that  he  had  seen  many 
dark  days,  but  that  he  was  now  one  of  the  jan 
itors  of  the  Institute,  and  had  hopes  of  finishing 
from  the  Normal  Department  the  following  June. 
He  believed  that  there  was  a  bright  future  for 
him,  and  felt  that  the  best  things  of  life  were  not 
too  good  for  him.  And  I  must  digress  right  here 
for  a  moment  to  say  that  this  young  man  has 
succeeded  admirably.  Everybody  knows  him, 
for  he  is  one  of  the  chief  Negroes  of  the  Nation. 
And  though  he  does  not  remember  my  first  night 
at  Lincoln  Institute,  I  do,  and  he  is  closely  asso 
ciated  with  it.  My  bed-fellow  that  night  was 
none  other  than  the  Ex-President  of  Quindaro 
University  and  Ex-Registrar  of  the  United 
States  Treasury. 

The  next  morning  myself  and  companion  rose 
early  and  went  to  the  city  to  look  for  work.  We 
tramped  around  for  several  hours,  but  without 
success.  Either,  "The  boy  we  had  last  year  will 
be  back,"  or,  "We  will  not  need  a  boy  for  a 
month  or  two,"  was  the  reply  that  we  received 


30  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 

at  every  door.  I  was  not  daunted  by  these  re 
plies,  but  my  companion  was,  and  decided  to 
catch  a  train  and  return  home  at  once.  I  re 
solved  to  put  in  the  rest  of  the  day  in  search  of 
a  place,  for  I  liked  the  Institute  and  did  not  mind 
a  few  hardships,  provided  I  could  get  an  oppor 
tunity  to  attend  it.  That  day  closed,  however, 
with  "nothing  doing"  for  me.  I  had  brought  no 
baggage  along  with  me,  so  I  decided  to  return 
home  and  get  my  trunk,  pretend  to  my  mother 
that  I  had  a  place  to  work,  and  get  back  to  Jef 
ferson  City  in  time  to  start  in  on  the  first  day 
of  opening,  which  was  September  6th. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


AT  SCHOOL. 

I  know  I  must  have  looked  and  acted  rather 
"green"  on  my  entering  Lincoln  Institute  the 
following  Monday  morning,  for  the  life  was  en 
tirely  new  to  me,  and  all  the  faces  were  strange ; 
the  buildings  were  large  and  commodious  and 
unlike  any  that  I  had  ever  seen  before;  the 
grounds  were  unfamiliar;  the  sleeping  quarters 
were  undesirable,  having  just  been  opened  up; 
and  many  of  the  boys  appeared  to  be  mean  and 
uncompanionable. 

For  the  first  three  or  four  days  I  was  very 
lonely  and  dispirited  indeed.  And,  too,  the  ques 
tion,  "How  was  I  to  stay  there?"  was  ever  in 
my  mind,  for  as  yet  I  had  not  secured  a  place 
to  work,  though  I  had  tried  very  hard.  My  class 
mates,  however,  soon  began  to  take  interest  in 
me,  and  I  found  out  through  some  of  them  that 
there  was  no  need  of  my  worrying  or  becoming 
discouraged,  for  there  were  many  students  in  rny 
condition ;  that  this  was  the  case  at  the  beginning 
of  every  school  year,  and  that  almost  invariably 

31 


32  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 

things  worked  out  all  right  for  those  who  KacI 
the  grit  and  determination  to  stay.  These  as 
surances  strengthened  me  much  in  my  resolve, 
and  the  prospect  grew  more  beautiful  and  bright 
for  me.  And  at  the  end  of  two  or  three  weeks 
I  had  secured  work  and  was  rapidly  growing  in 
favor  with  my  teachers  and  in  popularity  with 
classmates  and  students. 

Besides,  I  was  charmed  with  the  intellectual 
atmosphere  of  the  place,  the  like  of  which  I  had 
never  seen  or  felt  before.  This  new  life  of 
books,  music,  oratory,  debate,  and  general  in 
telligence  was  the  source  of  much  inspiration  to 
me.  I  also  realized  that  my  classmates  and  as 
sociates  were  the  cream  of  the  State,  and  that 
I  had  connected  myself  with  a  great  family  that 
was  struggling  to  lift  itself  up  on  a  higher  and 
broader  plane,  which  worthy  ambition  from  child 
hood  up  had  been  my  aim.  I  had  long  hoped  for 
such  opportunities  and  such  associations,  and 
now  my  hopes  were  realized.  I  was  happy,  con 
tented,  and  proud,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that 
I  had  a  long  way  yet  to  go,  and  how  I  was  to 
go  the  distance  was  by  no  means  settled. 

It  would  be  impossible  for  me,  in  this  brief 
account  of  myself,  to  relate  even  half  the  im 
portant  incidents  of  the  eight  years  I  spent  in 


"At  the  end  of  the  fast  year  I  returned  home." 


SEEKING  THE  BEST.  33 

Lincoln  Institute  as  a  student.  Suffice  it  to  say 
that  I  had  my  ups  and  downs,  as  all  other  earn 
est  and  determined  students  have. 

At  the  end  of  the  first  year  I  returned  home, 
and  I  was  proud  indeed  to  tell  of  my  progress 
and  of  the  great  opportunities  presented  at  Lin 
coln  Institute. 

I  also  had  the  pleasure  of  chatting  with  my 
white  companion  about  the  Negro  boarding- 
school,  while  he  told  of  the  course  that  he  was 
taking  in  a  business  college  at  Sedalia.  And 
though  he  may  have  not,  I  distinctly  remembered 
what  he  used  to  tell  me  when  we  were  little  play 
mates,  "Colored  people  do  not  have  colleges." 
And  though  I  never  mentioned  these  things  to 
him,  I  was  convinced  that  it  was  the  prejudice 
that  existed  in  his  little  heart,  prejudice  for 
which  he  was  not  responsible,  that  prompted  h/im 
to  say  these  heart-breaking  things  to  me. 

In  a  few  months  after  this,  when  I  had  re 
turned  to  school,  I  received  the  shocking  intel 
ligence  that  my  little  white  companion  was  dead. 
This  event  grieved  me  very  much  indeed.  It 
was  many  months  before  I  could  realize  the 
truth  of  this  sad  intelligence.  Our  intimacy  and 
friendship  had  finally  come  to  an  end,  in  a  way 
we  had  not  expected, 


CHAPTER  V. 


IHE  EVENING  STAR  QUARTET. 

I  belonged  to  the  Evening  Star  Quartet, 
which  organization  furnished  entertainment  on 
various  occasions  and  in  various  places.  We 
were  known  through  the  city,  and  were  called 
on  for  concerts  and  serenades  frequently,  the 
contracting  parties  paying  well  for  our  services. 
Every  Saturday  night  the  guests  of  the  Madison 
Hotel  expected  us,  and  we  would  arways  make 
special  preparations  for  their  entertainment. 
Our  leader,  besides  being  a  triangle-player,  re 
cited  stump  speeches  and  comical  selections;  our 
tenor  was  a  great  whistler  and  played  well  on 
the  mouth-organ;  our  basso  was  skillful  with  a 
mandolin ;  and  your  humble  servant,  who  was  the 
baritone  singer  in  the  quartet,  played  the  guitar. 
Thus  you  see  we  had  a  rare  aggregation  of  tal 
ent  and  were  capable  of  being  the  best  for  this 
kind  of  work  in  the  State.  Our  repertoire  of 
songs  was  replete  with  solos,  duets,  medleys, 
quartets,  and  selections  from  operas,  comic  and 

34 


SEEKING  THE  BEST.  35 

otherwise,  and  we  boasted  of  our  superiority  over 
the  Silver  Tongue  Quartet,  who  were  our  rivals 
and  had  their  residence  upon  the  Lincoln  Insti 
tute  grounds. 

We  were  at  our  best  while  the  World's  Fair 
was  going  on  at  Chicago.  We  saw  great  possi 
bilities  over  there  for  such  a  quartet  as  we  had. 
We  would  meet  and  at  our  rehearsals  discuss  the 
advisability  of  quitting  school  early  that  year  and 
singing  our  way  to  the  great  White  City.  We 
were  not  long  in  making  up  our  minds  that  this 
was  the  thing  to  do.  So  we  began  to  make  prep 
arations,  and  in  the  month  of  May,  on  one  Sun 
day  afternoon,  after  responding  to  an  invitation 
to  sing  two  seletcions  at  a  sacred  concert  at  the 
Baptist  church,  we  started;  and  ere  the  sweet 
strains  of  "Nearer,  My  God,  to  Thee"  and  a 
chant  of  "The  Lord's  Prayer"  had  ceased  to 
ring  in  the  ears  and  hearts  of  this  audience,  we, 
having  filed  out  before  dismissal,  were  well  on 
our  way  to  what  then  looked  like  pleasure  and 
prosperity. 

The  following  morning  found  us  in  Fulton, 
Missouri.  There  were  many  people  in  town  that 
day,  on  account  of  a  big  horse  show  that  was 
being  held  there.  Things  "looked  good"  to  us,  so 
we  opened  up  with  some  of  our  favorite  selec- 


36  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 

tions,  to  the  delight  of  the  great  crowd  that  was 
not  long  in  gathering.  We  passed  the  hat  after 
we  had  sung  several  selections,  and  the  clinking 
of  coins  was  indeed  pleasant  to  our  ears,  while 
glorious  visions  of  the  great  White  City  rose  be 
fore  our  eyes.  That  night  our  efforts  on  the 
streets  were  no  less  successful,  and  the  coins  were 
almost  as  plentiful,  and  the  next  morning  we  left 
Fulton  in  a  very  cheerful  mood. 

At  Mexico  we  did  fairly  well,  and  would 
have  been  all  right  had  we  not  stayed  a  day  too 
long.  We  liked  the  girls  of  that  place  and  spent 
our  money  freely  on  them,  thinking  that  we  could 
make  it  up  at  Louisiana,  which  was  to  be  our 
next  stop.  After  paying  our  board-bill  and  pro 
curing  tickets  for  the  next  stop,  we  found  that 
our  treasury  department  was  very  low.  We 
reached  Louisiana  about  eight  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  ate  lunch  at  a  colored  restaurant,  and 
then  went  out  to  look  for  some  friends  we  knew. 
We  spent  the  day  pleasantly,  and  at  night  went 
up  on  the  main  street  to  sing.  We  did  not  do  as 
well  as  we  expected,  but  we  succeeded  in  making 
expenses,  including  our  fare  to  Roodhouse,  Illi 
nois,  which  was  to  be  our  next  stopping-place. 

But  before  we  could  get  away  from  Louisiana 
the  next  day,  our  tenor  singer  took  a  chill  and 


SEEKING  THE  BEST.  37 

was  awfully  sick.  It  was  impossible  for  us  to 
travel  with  him  in  this  condition,  so  we  put  him 
to  bed  and  waited  for  his  recovery.  We  gave 
him  quinine,  and  when  the  fever  which  follows  a 
chill  came  up,  he  was  delirious  and  grew  danger 
ous.  He  would  stare  at  us  wildly  and  threaten 
to  do  us  bodily  injury  if  we  did  not  leave  him. 
It  took  all  our  united  efforts  to  hold  him  in  bed 
while  he  was  in  this  condition.  However,  as  the 
fever  left  him  he  grew  better,  and  when  evening 
approached  he  was  able  to  take  the  train  for 
Roodhouse,  Illinois. 

We  reached  Roodhouse  about  eight  o'clock 
that  night,  procured  lodging  at  a  white  boarding- 
house,  as  there  were  but  two  colored  families  in 
the  town  and  they  could  not  accommodate  us, 
and  went  up  town  to  look  the  situation  over  and 
see  what  were  the  prospects  for  success.  I 
wanted  to  leave  the  tenor  singer  at  the  house,  as 
I  had  had  the  chills  and  knew  how  weak  and 
faint  one  felt  after  such  an  experience;  but  the 
other  boys  insisted  that  our  means  were  ex 
hausted  and  we  must  sing  that  night  in  order  to 
meet  expenses.  Our  tenor  singer  thought  he 
could  make  it.  So,  realizing  the  force  of  their 
argument,  I  gave  over  to  them.  We  thought  we 
would  step  in  the  restaurant  connected  with  the 


38  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 

depot  and  drink  a  cup  of  coffee  before  proceed 
ing  further.  We  all  went  in,  but  our  tenor 
claimed  that  he  did  not  want  anything  and  went 
out  on  the  platform.  It  was  not  long  before 
someone  came  in  and  told  us  that  we  had  better 
look  after  our  friend.  We  went  outside  the  sta 
tion,  and  found  our  tenor  lying  on  the  platform 
in  an  unconscious  condition.  We  became  very 
much  alarmed  about  him.  After  a  short  while, 
he  was  restored  to  consciousness  and  felt  able  to 
return  to  the  boarding-house.  Our  singing  for 
that  night  was  broken  up.  The  next  morning 
our  tenor  was  no  better,  and  we  began  to  think 
what  was  best  to  do.  We  all  could  not  remain 
there  until  he  recovered,  for  we  had  no  money 
and  our  instruments  would  be  good  for  but  one 
or  two  days  at  best.  And  there  was  no  telling 
how  long  our  tenor  might  be  ill. 

We  finally  hit  upon  this  scheme:  as  our  bass 
singer  had  friends  in  St.  Louis  and  could  secure 
money  as  soon  as  he  got  there,  and  as  our  leader 
was  a  hustler  and  could  get  over  the  roads,  these 
two  should  go  on  to  St.  Louis  and  leave  me  there 
to  care  for  the  tenor  until  they  could  send  money 
with  which  to  redeem  the  instruments  and  to  pay 
our  fare  to  St.  Louis.  There  was  only  $1.50  in 
our  treasury.  The  bass  singer  had  to  use  this 


SEEKING  THE  BEST.  39 

to  induce  the  conductor  to  allow  him  to  ride  the 
distance  of  between  seventy-five  and  a  hundred 
miles,  while  the  other  fellow  was  to  hustle.  I 
did  not  like  this  arrangement  much,  for  I  was 
afraid  of  the  tenor,  in  the  first  place,  and  did  not 
know  how  to  care  for  sick  people.  So  I  suggest 
ed  that  the  leader  remain  there  with  the  sick 
tenor  and  I  be  allowed  to  run  chances  with  the 
conductors  to  get  to  St.  Louis.  After  some  par 
leying  and  wrathful  expressions,  it  was  agreed 
that  I  should  be  the  one  to  go  along  with  the 
bass. 

That  night,  in  the  midst  of  an  awful  down 
pour  of  rain,  we  hastened  to  the  station  to  await 
the  arrival  of  our  train.  We  both  boarded,  the 
bass  going  in  one  coach  and  I  another.  I  pre 
tended  to  be  asleep  when  the  conductor  came  in 
the  coach  where  I  was.  He  looked  down  on  me, 
passed  on,  and  said  nothing.  As  the  morning 
dawned  and  the  train  drew  nearer  to  St.  Louis 
I  began  to  feel  much  better.  I  must  confess  that 
I  was  uneasy  the  greater  part  of  the  ride.  But 
I  grew  bolder  as  the  train  sped  on  and  on  toward 
St.  Louis,  and  when  we  were  within  a  few  miles 
of  the  great  city,  I  went  into  the  toilet-room  and 
performed  my  ablutions.  On  my  return,  in  the 
vestibule,  I  met  the  conductor.  He  asked  me 


40  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 

where  I  got  on.  I  told  him  at  Louisiana.  He 
began  to  question  me  about  certain  people  who 
lived  there,  and  I  answered  him  as  best  I  could, 
turning  the  conversation  as  quickly  as  possible 
to  the  weather  and  crops.  He  soon  left  me,  for 
we  were  now  very  near  the  bridge  in  East  St. 
Louis.  I  went  into  the  coach  where  my  bass 
companion  was,  and  he  seemed  very  much  sur 
prised  to  see  me ;  he  had  not  seen  me  since  the 
train  left  Roodhouse,  and  he  was  laboring  under 
the  impression  that  I  was  left. 

We  were  now  at  the  bridge,  and  as  I  did  not 
have  that  portion  of  the  ticket  which  carries  one 
over  the  bridge  and  my  companion  had  only  suc 
ceeded  in  persuading  the  conductor  to  allow  him 
to  go  as  far  as  East  St.  Louis,  we  both  got  off. 
We  fumbled  around  for  some  time  in  our  pockets, 
and  succeeded  in  digging  up  ten  cents — enough 
to  pay  the  toll  across  the  bridge. 

Our  plans  thus  far  had  been  carried  out  all 
right,  and  in  a  few  days  they  were  completed  by 
the  arrival  of  the  two  other  members  of  the  com 
pany,  with  the  instruments  and  baggage. 

I  never  could  have  any  luck  in  St.  Louis,  and 
after  remaining  there  for  two  weeks,  I  borrowed 
money  from  a  friend  and  secured  passage  over 
to  Chicago.  I  arrived  there  at  eight  o'clock  in 


SEEKING  THE  BEST.  41 

the  morning,  and  went  to  work  as  porter  in  a 
cafe  at  twelve.  I  remained  there  two  weeks, 
after  which  I  went  out  near  the  World's  Fair 
grounds  and  helped  furnish  up  one  of  the  many 
hotels  that  were  being  built  in  close  proximity  to 
the  fair  grounds.  This  carrying  furniture  up  five 
and  six  flights  of  stairs  was  the  hardest  work  that 
I  ever  did  in  my  life ;  but  I  stuck  to  it  until  it  was 
done.  When  this  was  done,  I  found  no  difficulty 
in  finding  other  work. 

This  was  the  most  successful  season  that  I 
spent  during  my  school  career.  I  had  an  oppor 
tunity  to  see  much  of  the  fair.  I  purchased  a 
new  trunk  and  filled  it  up  with  clothing,  and  the 
following  year,  when  school  was  out,  had  some 
money  left. 

My  jcompanion/s  in  St.  Louis  /finally  made 
their  way  over  and  went  to  work.  We  would 
see  each  other  often,  and  sometimes  sing  for  our 
own  amusement  and  pleasure,  but  we  never 
thought  of  trying  to  earn  a  living  by  our  musical 
talents  in  the  great  White  City. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


MY  LAST  YEAR  IN  SCH-OOL. 

In  this  way  I  continued  to  struggle  on  and 

on  with  my  school  work  until  seven  years  had 
slipped  away  and  the  time  for  my  graduation 
was  drawing  nigh.  I  could  now  see  the  goal  for 
which  I  had  so  long  been  striving.  I  had  suc 
ceeded  in  some  way,  I  knew  not  how.  And  al 
though  my  last  year  promised  many  more  trials 
and  besetments,  I  had  grown  callous  to  hard 
ships  and  did  not  mind  those  that  were  in  store 
for  me  during  my  last  year.  And  so,  girding 
myself  up  for  the  final  struggle,  I  finished  with 
great  pride  and  satisfaction  to  myself. 

Besides  completing  the  collegiate  course  as 
laid  down  in  the  school  curriculum,  I  had  formed 
many  lasting  friendships,  made  a  favorable  im 
pression  with  my  teachers,  and  shared  the  good 
will  and  best  wishes  of  all  classes  alike. 

I  was  indeed  proud  of  my  record  as  a  student. 
I  had  been  an  active  member  of  all  the  literary 
organizations  connected  with  the  school,  was  one 

42 


SEEKING  THE  BLST.  43 

of  the  organizers  of  the  first  band  and  orchestra 
that  the  institution  ever  had  (playing  the  cornel 
in  the  band  and  bass  violin  in  the  orchestra),  was 
identified  with  choirs,  quartets,  and  choral  soci 
eties,  and  had  done  much  in  the  interest  of  ath 
letics  for  the  school  (playing  short  stop  on  the 
baseball  team  and  having  the  name  of  being  the 
best  boxer  in  the  school). 

And  now,  when  I  had  delivered  my  graduating 
oration  on  the  14th  of  June,  1897,  in  the  Hall 
of  the  House  of  Representatives  at  the  Capitol 
building,  my  school  life  as  a  student  was  over. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


IN  SEARCH  OF  A  SCHOOL. 

After  graduating,  I  went  home  to  spend  a  few 
weeks  with  my  folks.  I  remained  there  till  the 
latter  part  of  August,  when  I  began  to  grow 
restless  and  impatient.  Time  was  passing  away, 
and  I  was  anxious  to  secure  some  kind  of  profit 
able  employment  for  the  winter.  Everything  that 
I  had  obtained  thus  far  in  life  I  had  been  obliged 
to  get  by  hustling,  and  I  was  quite  sure  that  the 
same  would  be  true  in  this  case.  So,  when  an 
excursion  from  Kansas  City  to  St.  Louis  came 
to  our  town,  I  boarded  it  and  pulled  out  for  the 
Smoky  City.  On  my  arrival  in  St.  Louis,  I  was 
told  by  the  people  with  whom  I  was  stopping 
that  there  were  several  vacancies  for  teachers  in 
St.  Louis  County.  So,  with  very  limited  means, 
I  started  out  to  find  some  of  these  vacancies  and, 
if  possible,  secure  a  situation. 

The  first  place  to  which  I  came  I  was  told 
that  there  was  a  vacancy  in  the  colored  school, 
and  that  if  I  could  see  the  directors,  I  cor  Id  in 


SEEKING  THE  BEST.  45 

all  probability  secure  the  situation.  After  much 
hard  work,  I  succeeded  in  finding  some  of  the 
directors,  and  they  wanted  to  see  my  certificate. 
I  had  none,  for  I  was  a  graduate  from  the  Col 
legiate  Department  of  Lincoln  Institute,  and  the 
diploma  which  I  received  did  not  entitle  me  to 
teach  in  the  State  without  further  examination. 
So  they  said  they  could  not  talk  business  with 
me  until  I  secured  a  certificate  from  their  County 
Supervisor. 

This  meant  that,  with  my  limited  means,  I 
should  go  to  Allenton,  Missouri,  where  the  Coun 
ty  Supervisor  lived ;  and,  seeing  that  this  was  my 
only  course  if  I  wanted  to  teach  in  the  county, 
I  went  to  Allenton  the  next  day.  I  found  the 
Supervisor  easily,  and  after  paying  him  one  dol 
lar  and  fifty  cents  out  of  my  limited  means,  this 
amount  being  the  examination  fee,  he  gave  me 
paper  and  pencil  and  told  me  to  begin  writing. 

It  was  about  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning  when 
I  began,  and  by  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  I 
had  completed  the  list  of  questions.  He  hastily 
corrected  my  papers,  and  wrote  out  a  certificate 
and  handed  it  to  me,  that  I  might  be  able  to 
catch  the  train  which  left  for  Chesterfield  at  five 
o'clock.  I  thanked  him  kindly  for  what  he  had 


46  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 

done,  and  hastened  back  to  the  district  where 
the  vacancy  existed. 

I  did  not  see  the  directors  that  night,  as  it 
was  late  when  the  train  reached  the  place.  But 
the  next  morning  the  man  with  whom  I  was 
stopping  hitched  up  his  cart  and  carried  me  to  a 
place  where  the  directors  were  holding  a  meeting. 
Presently  we  came  up  to  where  four  of  them  were 
assembled  near  a  barn.  We  greeted  them,  and 
then  the  man  who  was  with  me  began  talking 
and  made  himself  obnoxious  by  his  domineering 
attitudes  and  ways,  insinuating  that  the  board 
had  never  given  the  colored  school  a  square  deal, 
and  that  this  man  here  (meaning  myself)  was  an 
intelligent  man  and  deserved  much  more  money 
than  they  were  offering  him.  Before  I  could 
find  time  to  speak,  the  members  of  the  board 
were  thoroughly  wrought  up  and  disgusted,  and 
I  saw  my  chances  for  work  were  spoiled  by  my 
association  with  this  tactless  fellow.  They  ab 
solutely  refused  to  talk  business  with  me,  so, 
with  my  limited  means,  I  had  to  move  on.  The 
man  who  had  the  cart,  with  seeming  regret,  put 
me  on  the  right  road  for  the  next  district,  and 
I  was  left  to  "foot  it"  alone  through  a  strange 
country.  I  was  not  discouraged,  however,  and 
trudged  along  until  I  had  reached  the  next  place, 


SEEKING  THE  BEST.  47 

There  was  now  but  one  other  place  left.  My 
intention  was  to  reach  this  the  next  day.  But 
the  question  as  to  how  I  was  to  get  back  to  St. 
Louis  was  now  confronting  me.  I  was  thirty 
miles  away,  and  my  limited  means  were  ex 
hausted.  I  had  not  even  a  penny  with  which 
to  buy  a  stamp.  But  I  was  always  resourceful, 
and,  after  studying  the  situation  over  for  a  while, 
concluded  that  the  only  way  out  of  the  predica 
ment  was  to  deliver  a  lecture  at  Centaur  the  fol 
lowing  Friday  night,  and  that  by  charging  an 
admittance  fee  I  might  perhaps  be  able  to  secure 
the  price  of  a  ticket  back  to  St.  Louis.  So,  thus 
deciding,  I  secured  three  or  four  sheets  of  writing 
paper  and  wrote  on  them,  advertising  "A  Great 
Lecture  by  Professor  O.  M.  Shackelford,  at  the 
Mt.  Pleasant  Baptist  Church,  Centaur,  St.  Louis 
County,  Missouri,  Friday  night  at  8  P.  M.  Ad 
mission,  ten  cents."  I  placed  these  notices  in 
conspicuous  places  and  told  everyone  I  saw  about 
the  great  lecture  and  invited  them  to  be  present. 

The  next  morning,  after  having  spent  a  lonely 
night  with  a  family  who  lived  in  a  hut  surrounded 
by  a  very  dense  forest,  I  struck  out  for  Centaur, 
and  upon  reaching  that  place,  after  having  walked 
seven  or  eight  miles,  I  immediately  inquired  as 
to  the  whereabouts  of  the  directors  of  the  colored 


48  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 

school.  I  was  told,  and  went  as  directed,  and 
found  the  one  who  lived  nearest.  I  talked  with 
him,  and  he  liked  me.  He  wrote  a  note  to  an 
other  member  of  the  board,  and  requested  me  to 
take  it  over  to  him.  I  found  the  other  member 
at  home,  gave  him  the  note,  and  he,  having  read 
it,  glanced  me  over  and  said  that  he  was  well 
pleased  with  my  appearance,  that  there  was  only 
one  other  man  to  see,  and  that  he  would  see  this 
man  himself  and  inform  him  of  a  meeting  to  be 
held  at  the  school-house  the  following  morning, 
at  which  time  he  thought  they  would  elect  me. 
He  told  me  to  be  sure  and  be  present  at  the 
meeting.  I  thanked  him  and  turned  away. 

When  I  got  back  to  Centaur,  it  was  late  in 
the  evening,  and  the  lady  of  the  house  was  busy 
preparing  supper.  I  heard  her  say  something  to 
her  husband  about  a  tramp,  and  I  was  sure  she 
was  talking  about  me.  I  knew,  however,  how  to 
brace  up  and  look  genteel,  and  did  so.  I  sat 
down  to  the  table  (I  was  very  tired  and  hungry), 
and  enjoyed  a  supper  of  fried  chicken,  hot  bis 
cuits,  and  coffee  very  much.  I  also  slept  well 
that  night,  for  I  was  in  need  of  rest. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


A  SIX-MONTHS  SCHOOL  SECURED. 

The  next  morning,  after  eating  breakfast,  I 
went  to  the  place  where  the  board  was  to  meet. 
I  found  them  there,  talking  over  business  per 
taining  to  school  matters.  They  greeted  me  cor 
dially,  and  soon  turned  their  attention  to  the 
selection  of  a  teacher  for  the  colored  school.  I 
showed  them  my  certificate  and  recommenda 
tions,  and  they  seemed  unanimous  in  the  belief 
that  I  was  the  right  man,  and  proceeded  without 
hesitation  to  elect  me  to  teach  their  six-months 
school,  at  a  salary  of  thirty  dollars  per  month. 

I  was  too  tired  to  protest  or  to  make  a  show 
of  dissatisfaction.  In  truth,  I  had  had  enough 
of  tramping  through  the  hot  sun,  the  dusty  roads, 
and  the  dense  thickets  of  St.  Louis  County.  Be 
sides,  my  shoes  were  worn  out,  and  on  this  ac 
count  I  could  go  no  further  had  I  the  strength 
or  inclination  to  do  so.  I  had  covered  nearly 
every  foot  of  ground  from  Centaur  to  St.  Louis, 
and  I  was  only  too  glad  to  have  my  labors  ended 

40 


50  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 

in  this  way  if  they  could  possibly  be.  So  I 
accepted  the  place  and  felt  very  much  relieved. 

Several  persons  came  out  to  the  lecture  that 
night,  but  I  postponed  it  till  a  later  date.  The 
truth  is,  I  had  no  lecture  to  deliver;  though, 
had  it  come  to  a  "show-down,"  it  was  my  in 
tention  to  speak  my  graduating  oration,  which 
was  still  fresh  in  my  mind,  and  thus  try  tc  sat 
isfy  those  who  would  be  kind  enough  to  come 
out  to  hear  me. 

My  stay  in  St.  Louis  County  was  both  pleas 
ant  and  profitable.  For  here,  on  the  banks  of  the 
majestic  Missouri  and  amid  the  vine-clad  rocks 
and  foot-hills,  sisters  to  the  mighty  Ozarks,  in  a 
place  where  Nature  and  Nature's  God  hold  full 
sway,  I  did  my  first  real  thinking.  Here  I  real 
ized  for  the  first  time  the  possibilities  of  a  broad 
er  life,  and  saw  the  necessity  of  a  firm  founda 
tion  for  future  growth. 

The  birds,  the  brooks,  and  the  river  furnished 
music  for  this  place  of  Nature,  and  this  music 
in  turn  lent  inspiration  to  me  and  impelled  me 
to  pen  many  of  the  essays  and  poems  now  con 
tained  within  this  book.  Here  I  drilled  myself 
in  elocution,  oratory,  and  song,  and  had  beauti 
ful  flowers  and  trees,  which  bowed  their  grace 
ful  forms  in  appreciation  and  approval,  for  my 


SEEKING  THE  BEST.  51 

audience.  Birds  and  squirrels  and  other  hab 
itants  of  this  haunt  of  Nature  were  my  friends. 
Who  with  the  narrowest  kind  of  soul  would  not 
be  happy  in  an  Eden  like  this? 

The  house  in  which  I  taught  was  made  of 
logs,  and  it  did  service  both  for  school  and  church. 
Through  its  cracks  and  crevices  snakes  and  frogs 
often  peeped  good-naturedly  and  were  not  in 
frequent  guests,  to  the  amusement  and  delight 
of  my  circle  of  little  backwoodsmen. 

This  was  my  first  school,  and  I  enjoyed  my 
work,  laboring  as  hard  and  as  incessantly  with 
these  fourteen  children  for  thirty  dollars  per 
month  as  I  have  since  for  more  than  double  that 
amount. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


ENTERING  THE  LITERARY  FIELD. 

I  went  to  St.  Louis  when  my  work  was  ended 
in  the  county,  carrying  with  me  the  essays  and 
poems  which  I  had  written  there;  for  I  liked 
them,  not  so  much  for  their  merit  (for  I  doubted 
them  in  this  respect),  or  because  they  sounded 
well  to  me,  but  because  they  had  been  my  com 
panions  and  the  source  of  much  delight.  They 
had  assisted  wonderfully  in  passing  away  the 
long  winter  days,  that  no  doubt  would  have  been 
dull  indeed  had  they  not  claimed  my  attention. 

I  do  not  know  why,  but  I  carried  them  to 
the  Sunday  editor  of  the  Post-Dispatch.  He  read 
some  of  them,  and  was  interested.  He  inter 
viewed  me,  and  then  had  an  artist  sketch  me. 
On  the  next  Sunday  the  Post-Ditpatch  contained 
my  picture  with  the  article  which  follows;  and 
I  found  myself  talked  of  throughout  the  State, 
just  as  I  was  in  Jefferson  City  when  my  poem 
on  the  Lincoln  Institute  fire  was  published. 

While  I  was  not  altogether  pleased  with  the 

52* 


SEEKING  THE  BEST.  53 

"write-up"  which  the  Post-Dispatch  gave  me 
(newspapers  never  tell  things  just  as  they  are), 
I  felt  some  degree  of  satisfaction  at  having  my 
name  heralded  throughout  the  country  in  such 
a  laudable  cause.  It  was  at  least  one  step  in 
the  literary  field. 

The  article  as  published  by  the  Post-Dispatch 
follows : 

A  MISSOURI  NEGRO  WHO  LONGS  TO  GAIN  FAME 

AS  AN  AUTHOR  OF  VERSE. 

Otis  M.  Shackleford,  a  Missouri  Negro,  is  am 
bitious  to  win  the  applause  of  men  by  his  poetry. 
He  teaches  school  in  Centaur,  St.  Louis  County, 
but  his  home  is  in  Tipton,  a  small  town  in  Moni- 
teau  County. 

Shackelford  is  as  black  as  any  child  of  Africa, 
and  has  all  the  physical  characteristics  of  his  race. 
He  boasts  that  only  pure  Negro  blood  flows  in 
his  veins.  He  said: 

"My  ambition  is  to  be  a  great  poet.  I  wish 
to  show  the  world  what  the  full-blooded  Negro 
can  do  when  he  applies  himself  and  refuses  to  be 
come  discouraged  by  the  many  prejudices  which 
the  white  race  holds  against  him.  I  have  en 
countered  many  obstacles  in  my  efforts  to  achieve 
this  end,  but  so  far  I  have  found  ways  in  which 
to  overcome  them.  My  advantages  have  not 
been  any  better  than  those  of  many  another  Ne 
gro  boy.  I  was  jborn  in  1872,  and  my  struggle 


54  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 

witH  poverty  and  misfortune  began  at  that  time. 
My  parents,  though  more  intelligent  and  better 
educated  than  most  Negroes,  were  very  poor. 
My  father  was  a  Methodist  preacher  and  a  school 
teacher.  He  instilled  into  my  heart  a  desire  to 
get  a  good  education,  and  when  I  was  old  enough 
to  go  to  public  school,  I  studied  very  hard. 

"When  I  completed  the  public  school  course, 
my  plans  seemed  to  be  balked.  I  had  no  money 
and  it  was  impossible  to  get  an  education  with 
out  it.  But  I  got  a  position  as  waiter  in  a  St. 
Louis  hotel  and  soon  made  enough  money  to  pay 
my  way  for  a  year  at  Lincoln  Institute  in  Jef 
ferson  Gty. 

"Soon  after  I  entered  that  school  I  began  to 
read  the  poems  of  Byron  and  Scott;  and  their 
beautiful  verses  made  so  vivid  an  impresson  on  me 
that  I  soon  found  myself  trying  to  write  in  rhyme 
about  things.  I  showed  my  productions  to  my 
schoolmates  and  teachers,  and  was  complimented 
very  highly.  I  did  not  try  to  publish  any  of 
them,  and  none  of  my  poems  appeared  in  print 
until  three  years  later.  When  Lincoln  Institute 
was  burned  in  1894  I  wrote  a  poem  about  the 
fire,  and  it  was  printed  in  the  Jefferson  City 
Courier.  Since  then  several  of  my  short  poems 
have  been  printed  in  Missouri  weekly  papers. 

"I  hope  some  day  to  be  able  to  write  verses 
good  enough  to  be  accepted  for  publication  by 
the  great  magazines. 

"I  am  making  a  special  study  of  literature, 
and  I  read  all  the  good  poetry  I  can  get.  I  want 


SEEKING  THE  BEST.  55 

to  make  myself  an  honor  to  my  race,  and  I  study 
through  all  my  idle  hours.  Byron  is  my  favorite 
poet,  and  I  read  one  of  his  poems  every  day. 
All  the  other  poets  I  like,  but  none  of  them  can 
ever  take  Byron's  place  in  my  heart.  I  read 
not  only  in  the  English  language,  but  also  in  the 
German,  Latin,  and  Greek,  which  I  have  studied 
for  many  years. 

"The  spirit  of  my  poems  shall  always  be  the 
betterment  of  the  condition  of  my  people.  I 
want  to  see  the  Negro  elevated  to  a  high  intel 
lectual  plane,  and  it  is  my  purpose  to  assist  him 
in  every  possible  way  to  find  the  light. 

"During  the  last  five  years  I  have  written 
a  hundred  poems,  and  I  have  preserved  every 
one  of  them." 

Shackelford  says  that  the  following  poem  on 
"Music"  is  one  of  his  best: 

"Music,  sweet  Music,  the  language  of  love; 
The   language   of   passions   which   came   from 
above ; 

The  language  of  hope,  of  grief  and  despair; 
The  soother  of  pains  and  all  earthly  care. 
We  love  thee,  O  Music,  because  thou  are  pure; 
As  echoes  from  Heaven  ye  came,  we  are  sure; 
A  song  from  the  angelic  choir  divine, 
O  Music,  sweet  Music,  an  art  so  fine. 
Thou  speakest  for  all  who  are  sad  and  distrest — 
The  happy,  the  rich,  the  poor,  and  the  blest, 
The  feeble,  the  blind,  the  wretched,  the  old ; 
By  the§  thejr  feelings  have  sweetly  been  told.* 


56  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 

Shackelford  has  the  imagination  of  a  poet,  as 
the  following  lines,  entitled  "Are  They  Dreams?" 
indicate : 

"Sweet  is  the  solitude  of  one  who  alone 
Takes  a  peep  backward  o'er  the  path  he  has 

come; 

Sweet  are  the  visions  beneath  childhood's  sun, 
Sweet  the  remembrance  of  one's  happy  home. 

"Tell  me,  oh  tell  me,  do  they  differ  from  dreams, 
These  sweet  recollections  and  childhood  scenes; 
These  visionary  paths  of  the  forest  green, 
The  musical  flow  of  the  woodland  stream? 

"Tell  me,  oh  tell  me,  if  here  down  below, 
Where  mosses  and  ferns  and  sweet  flowers  grow, 
Where  music  and  song,  with  strain  soft  and  low, 
Be  a  sweet  dream  of  Heaven,  or  do  you  know  ?" 


CHAPTER  X. 


A  TRIP  TO  CALIFORNIA. 

It  was  in  the  month  of  December,  1899,  that 
the  Pullman  Company  was  enlisting  the  services 
of  men  to  look  after  their  coaches  which  were 
used  for  conveying  soldiers  westward  en  route 
for  the  Philippine  Islands,  just  after  the  Spanish- 
American  War,  when  things  were  in  such  an 
unsettled  condition  in  those  new  possessions. 

I  chanced  to  be  in  St.  Louis  at  this  time  and 
thought  to  take  advantage  of  this  opportunity  to 
see  some  of  the  western  country  and  also  to  ac 
quaint  myself  with  the  soldiers  and  the  soldiers' 
way  of  living.  Hence  I  betook  myself  to  the 
office  of  the  general  superintendent  for  the  com 
pany,  and,  in  a  line  of  others,  found  no  difficulty 
in  securing  the  employment  which  I  sought. 

I  was  assigned  and  given  equipment  for  a 
coach,  and  told  to  be  prepared  to  depart  early 
the  following  morning.  I  listened  to  all  instruc 
tions  carefully,  and  though  I  had  never  done  any 
railroading  before,  at  the  end  of  the  lecture  I 

57 


58  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 

found  myself  very  well  informed  and  felt  con 
fident  that  I  could  do  what  was  required  of  me. 
The  regiment  to  be  conveyed  at  this  time  was 
the  Forty-ninth  U.  S.  Infantry.  A  finer-looking 
set  of  men  never  donned  the  uniform  of  blue 
than  the  ones  found  in  this  regiment.  I  was 
charmed  with  their  appearance,  and  anticipated 
a  glorious  trip  with  them  to  California. 

The  next  morning  early,  on  schedule  time, 
we  pulled  out  from  St.  Louis,  full  of  life  and 
buoyant  of  spirit,  bound  for  the  rocky  shores  of 
the  Pacific.  San  Francisco  was  the  destination 
so  far  as  myself  and  the  rest  of  the  Pullman  em 
ployees  were  concerned.  There  were  more  than 
a  hundred  of  us  in  all,  but  the  trains  were  divided 
into  three  or  four  sections,  so  but  few  of  us  were 
together  or  saw  each  other  after  leaving  St. 
Louis.  Among  the  number  of  men  on  my  sec 
tion  there  happened  to  be  one  fellow  that  I  knew 
in  school,  and  naturally  we  became  companions 
on  the  trip. 

We  traveled  over  the  Union  Pacific,  and  the 
first  part  of  our  journey  was  dull  and  monoton 
ous,  to  say  the  least ;  but  as  we  proceeded  farther 
westward  interest  grew.  The  long  ride  through 
the  broad  prairies  of  western  Kansas  was  pro 
saic  indeed,  there  being  nothing  so  favorable  of 


SEEKING  THE  BEST.  59 

comment  as  the  high  cold  winds,  which  blew  al 
most  constantly.  We  had  little  to  do  but  to  ob 
serve  and  study  the  make-up  and  characteristics 
of  the  soldiers  who  occupied  seats  in  our  respect 
ive  coaches. 

They  were  a  jolly  set,  these;  singing,  danc 
ing,  swearing,  and  gambling  constantly.  Night 
did  not  put  an  end  to  their  noisy  frolics.  They 
seemed  to  have  no  respect  whatever  for  law  and 
order.  Some  of  them  were  ill-mannered,  un 
couth,  and  wholly  degenerate.  Those  of  the  gen 
tler  sex  could  not  approach  the  train  without  in 
sult.  Old  men  were  made  the  butt  of  practical 
jokes,  and  boys  were  swindled  out  of  their  lunches 
which  they  had  purchased  with  their  own  means. 
And  these  men  were  only  controlled  by  rough, 
unkind  officers,  who  ruled  with  an  iron  hand  and 
who  emphasized  each  command  with  a  fearful 
oath.  Such,  as  we  observed  it,  was  the  personnel 
of  the  Forty-ninth,  and  with  such  on  our  five- 
days  journey  were  we  to  be  cooped  up. 

We  were  now  among  the  mountains  of  Col 
orado,  and,  this  being  my  first  visit  to  such  a 
region,  I  was  naturally  carried  away.  Pike's 
Peak,  the  Devil's  Slide,  the  Forty-Mile  Tunnel, 
the  snow-capped  mountains  above,  and  the  green 
valley  below,  filled  my  thoroughly  aroused  soul 


60  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 

with  awe  and  amazement.  A  detailed  descrip 
tion  here  is  impossible.  We  sped  on  and  on 
through  Colorado,  Utah,  and  Nevada,  and  as 
we  did  so  the  scenes,  already  se  awe-inspiring, 
increased  in  grandeur  and  beauty,  iiSiitil  at  last  we 
reached  the  Eden  of  the  world — California,  the 
land  of  surpassing  beauty  and  splendor;  a  land 
that  pen  cannot  describe  and  brush  cannot  por 
tray.  Here,  where  December  has  the  attributes 
of  May,  birds  were  singing,  flowers  were  bloom 
ing,  fruits  were  ripening,  bees  were  humming, 
brooks  were  babbling,  and  all  nature  was  happy 
and  gay. 

Soon  we  were  in  the  grand  and  magnificent 
city  of  San  Francisco,  and  our  soldiers  were 
making  preparations  to  quit  the  train  on  which 
they  had  been  confined  for  five  long  and  tedious 
days.  We  were  all  glad  to  quit  our  close  and 
cramped-up  quarters,  and  to  once  more  plant 
our  sleepy  feet  upon  the  glad  green  earth.  In 
spite  of  the  ill  impression  that  the  conduct  of 
these  boys  had  created  within  me,  my  heart 
swelled  with  pride  when  I  beheld  them  in  a  mag 
nificent  line  ready  to  respond  to  the  commands  of 
the  officers.  It  was  then  that  I  realized  that  a 
soldier  in  camp,  or  one  cramped  up  in  the  nar 
row  confines  of  a  railway  coach,  was  far  differ* 


'SEEKING  THE  BEST.  61 

ent  from  one  on  dress  parade  or  in  line  of  duty. 

And  I  sympathizedjwith  them,  and  forgot  what 

seemed  lolifi.  their  jngany  ills  _  andL  shortcomings. 

Myself    and    companion    remained   with    our 

coaches  and  were  taken  back  to  Oakland,  where 
we  were  side-tracked.  After_checking  up  pur 
linen  and  supplies  and  performing  other  duties 
which  were  required"  of  us,  we  went  up  town  to 
refresh  ourselves  with  food  in  a  fashionable 
restaurant.  Having  subsisted,  the  past  five  days 
wholly  oa  hard  tack,  coffee,  and  dried  beef,  we 
felt  greatly  the  need  of  a  change  of  diet.  We 
ate  our  supper,  which  consisted  of  sirloin  steak 
with  mushrooms,  French  fried  potatoes,  hot  bis 
cuits,  butter,  and  coffee.  It  is  neelless  to  say 
that  we  enjoyed  it.  We_xetunied.to.Qur  coaches, 
wrote  a_few  letters  to  home,  and  friends,  and 
then,  two  thousand  "miles  away  in  a  strange 
land,  tireTS3~worn~"we"lay  down  for  a  deep 
sleep  and  sweet  rest. 

The  next  morning  myself  and  companion, 
having  slept  much  later  than  we  expected,  rose, 
ate  breakfast,  and  planned  a  .day  _f or  ^sight-seeing. 

From  childhood  up  I  had  had  a^great_desire 
to  see  theJPacific,..  and JIQW^  jwith  my,  dream  so 
close  to  realization,  I  grew  impatient  with  my 


62  SEEKING  THE  BEST 

slow  companion  and  proceeded  on  my  journey 
without  him. 

I  made  my  way  to  the  pier,  boarded  one  of 
the  steamers,  famous  for  its  beauty  and  splen 
dor  in  construction,  and  was  soon  ploughing  my 
way  across  the  bay  to  the  Golden  City.  It  was 
a  beautiful  morning  in  December.  The  air  was 
fresh  and  the  sky  cloudless.  Birds  were  sing 
ing,  flowers  were  blooming,  and  the  atmosphere 
was  fragrant  with  the  orange,  the  banana,  the 
pineapple,  and  the  rose.  The  women  dressed 
in  various  costumes  of  light  fabric,  many  of 
them  wearing  sailor  hats,  and  looked  much  like 
the  pictures  of  coast  life  that  inlanders  so  often 
see.  It  was  a  glorious  sight  indeed. 

Forty  minutes  were  consumed  in  taking  this 
delightful  ride,  at  the  end  of  which  time  I  found 
myself  upon  a  street-car,  bounding  oceanward,  to 
the  realization  of  my  childhood  dream.  In  the 
distance  I  could  hear  a  mighty  roar,  which  told 
me  that  we  were  nearing  the  ancient  rock-bound 
shore.  Imagine  my  feelings  when  in  the  next 
few  moments  I  stood  rapt  in  wonder  and  a'maze- 
ment  at  the  awe-inspiring  scene  before  me. 

The  billows  with  their  white  caps  rolled  high, 
and  the  foaming  waters  furiously  lashed  the 
shore.  I  stood  there  for  some  time,  silent,  dumb- 


s 

a. 


SEEKING  THE  BEST.  63 

founded,  and  amazed.  And  when  at  last  my 
mind  grew  active,  a  thousand  thoughts  came 
teeming  in  and  I  was  fearful  that  my  soul,  filled 
with  so  much  ecstasy,  might  burst.  I  thought  of 
the  great  Balboa,  the  first  white  man  who  ever 
gazed  upon  that  vast  expanse.  I  thought  of  the 
many  thousands,  lured  on  to  these  rugged  shores 
by  a  lust  for  gold,  whose  bones  were  now  bleach 
ing  in  the  dust.  I  thought  of  the  sublime  heights 
to  which  Byron  soared  when  he  wrote  his  "Apos 
trophe  to  the  Ocean,"  and  I  could  not  refrain 
from  shouting  aloud  these  famous  lines: 

"Roll  on,  thou  deep  and  dark  blue  Ocean — roll! 
Ten  thousand  fleets  sweep  over  thee  in  vain; 
Man  marks  the  earth  with  ruin — his  control 
Stops  with  the  shore/* 

And  as  I  continued  to  gaze  upon  that  rough, 
rugged,  awful  expanse  a  thousand  other  sublimer 
thoughts  crowded  my  bewildered  brain,  which 
caused  my  delighted  soul  to  cry  out,  "Glory! 
glory!"  After  some  time,  when  my  spirits  had 
grown  calmer,  I  remembered  my  intention  to  dip 
my  hands  and  bathe  my  face  in  the  mighty  wa 
ters.  This  I  did,  and  departed  for  other  points 
along  the  shore. 

I  soon  found  myself  on  the  veranda  of  the 


' 


64  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 

famous  Cliff  House,  gazing  ,upon  the  rugged 
rocks  and  reefs  some  distance  from  the  shore. 
And  when  I  saw  the  seals  rolling  and  tossing 
pitifully  about  on  these  rocks,  and  heard  their 
sad  and  lonesome  cry,  which  was  a  mixture  of 
bark  and  wail,  there  was  something  so  weird, 
something  so  human-like  about  them  that  I 
thought  perhaps  these  were  lost  souls  re-embod 
ied  thus  and  s&nt  back  to  earth  for  punishment. 
And  I  gazed  and  gazed  and  thought  and  thought 
how  wonderful  are  the  works  of  God's  creation ! 
And  thus  I  stood  for  a  long  time,  rapt  as  one  in 
a  trance. 

My  greatest  desire  and  purpose  was  now  ac 
complished,  and  though  I  visited  Golden  Gate 
Park,  the  Sutro  Bath  Works,  and  many  other 
places  of  interest,  they  were  only  ordinary  in 
comparison  with  this  great  ocean  view,  and  the 
like  of  which  might  be  seen  in  any  well-kept  city 
of  America. 

I  now  betook  myself  back  to  the  business  sec 
tion  of  the  city ;  there  I  met  my  companion,  and 
we  joined  in  an  expedition  through  Chinatown. 
We  saw  many  interesting  sights,  observed  many 
customs  of  Chinese  life,  and  handled  many  things 
created  by  Chinese  hand  and  brain.  We  did  not 
tarry  long,  however,  in  this  Oriental  atmosphere, 


SEEKING  THE  BEST.  65 

for  the  tenants  of  the  district  looked  and  acted 
too  sullen.  We  did  not  think  they  were  pleased 
with  out  visit,  and  we  were  not  quite  sure  that 
they  did  not  mean  to  do  us  bodily  harm;  so, 
when  a  guide  insisted  that  we  go  farther  and  see 
more,  we  thanked  him  and  made  our  way  to 
other  points  of  interest  in  the  great  western  city. 

The  next  day  we  learned  that  the  Tennessee 
soldiers  had  just  arrived  from  Manila,  that  they 
were  disembarking,  and  that  it  would  be  our  duty 
to  handle  to  Nashville  the  trains  upon  which  they 
were  to  return.  It  was  rumored  that  the  Ten 
nessee  soldiers  were  a  bad  lot,  that  they  had 
killed  several  Pullman  employees,  and  that  there 
was  much  trouble  in  store  for  "those  of  us  who 
were  called  upon  to  care  for  the  cars  which  were 
to  carry  them  back.  I  had  no  fears,  however, 
and  went  to  the  office  of  the  general  superintend 
ent  ;  I  was  assigned  to  the  car  "Cleora,"  and  was 
told  to  be  ready  to  start  the  next  day  at  two 
o'clock. 

The  next  day  at  two  o'clock  I  was  at  my  post 
of  duty.  Every  one  was  busy  making  prepara 
tions  for  the  trip.  Tramps  and  hoboes  were 
much  in  evidence,  and  were  planning  to  make 
their  way  home  or  to  points  farther  east.  A,coli_ 
ored  boy  came  up  to  me  and  said  that  he  was 


66  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 

a  member  of  the  Pickaninny  Band  of  Kansas 
City;  that  they  had  been  making  a  tour  around 
the  world,  but  at  Honolulu  they  got  stranded 
and  were  compelled  to  disband;  that  he  had 
worked  his  way  on  a  steamer  from  Honolulu  to 
San  Francisco;  that  he  had  been  there  about  a 
week,  but  was  unable  to  find  employment,  and 
now  he  was.  anxious  to  get  back  to  his  home  in 
Kansas  City;  that  this  was  the  only  chance  he 
had,  and  he  asked  if  I  could  not  take  him.  I  be 
lieved  him  and  was  sorry  for  him ;  so  I  spoke  to 
my  conductor  in  his  behalf.  The  conductor  said 
that  he  would  not  be  responsible  for  him ;  that  I 
could  take  him  if  I  desired,  but  that  he  was  not 
supposed  to  know  anything  about  it.  I  thought 
the  matter  over,  and  decided  that  I  should  pass 
that  way  but  once,  and  if  there  was  any  good 
that  I  could  do,  I  would  do  it  then ;  so  I  took 
the  boy  on  board,  secluded  him  in  one  of  the 
wash-rooms  of  the  car  and  locked  the  door. 

It  was  not  long  before  our  train  pulled  out  on 
the  Southern  Pacific  for  Los  Angeles  and  other 
points  in  southern  California.  On  and  on  we 
sped  through  this  fairy  land  of  fruits  and  flowers 
and  perpetual  spring. 

The  ride  homeward  promised  to  be  more 
pleasureable  and  fuller  of  comfort  than  the  one 


SEEKING  THE  BEST.  67 

westward.  The  soldiers  were  a  lot  of  good- 
natured  boys,  some  of  them  from  refined  families, 
and  ranged  from  the  ages  of  eighteen  to  twenty- 
five.  They  were^kind  to  me,  and  got  into  my 
confidence  at  once,  t ru st mglarge] sums^Tmoney , 
jewelry,  souvenirs,  and  keepsakes  of  all  kinds  to 
my  care.  Many  of  them  were  "mothers'  boys" 
and  were  so  glad  they  were  going  home.  It 
was  evident  that  they  had  been  misrepresented  by 
malicious  tongues.  There  was  a  striking  con 
trast  between  their  behavior  and  that  of  the  col 
ored  troops  which  had  been  conveyed  thence  a 
few  days  before. 

Then,  too,  a  delegation  of  Tennessee  ladies 
had  come  all  the  way  from  Nashville  to  meet 
the  sons  of  their  State  who  had  recently  been 
mustered  out  from  service  in  the  Spanish- 
American  War.  These  added  dignity  and  called 
for  respect  from  soldiers  who  might  have  reck 
less  or  vicious  inclinations. 

The  commissary  department,  too,  was  con 
ducted  on  a  different  plan.  The  tables  were  liter 
ally  covered  with  every  variety  of  food  in  the 
market,  and  the  boys  ate  from  plates  with  silver 
knives  and  forks,  instead  of  from  mess  -  pans 
made  of  tin  with  knives  and  forks  of  iron.  They 
were  given  three  meals,  a  day,  and  they  slept  in 


68  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 

berths  as  other  tourists  did.  So  there  was  no 
reason  why  every  one  should  not  be  happy  and 
comfortable  on  this  journey  through  the  South. 
Thus  equipped,  we  continued  through  south 
ern  California,  Arizona,  New  Mexico,  Texas, 
Louisiana,  Mississippi,  Alabama,  and  Tennessee 
to  Nashville,  stopping  at  the  most  important  cit 
ies  and  towns  along  the  route.  Among  these 
the  most  important  were  Phoenix,  Arizona,  Dem- 
ing,  New  Mexico,  San  Antonio,  Texas,  New  Or 
leans,  Louisiana,  Mobile  'and  Montgomery,  Ala 
bama,  and  Nashville,  Tennessee,  which  was  now 
our  destination. 

We  were  now  at  the  end  of  our  journey, 
and  no  unpleasant  incidents  had  happened  to 
mar  our  homeward  trip.  The  boy  that  I  brought 
from  California  got  awfully  fifed ._  in  ...his  -close 
quarters,  and  one  night,  while  everyone  slept -as 
he  thought,  came  out  and  was  acting  porter  when 
someone  spied  him.  He  was  mistaken  for  a 
robber  or  an  intruder,  and  was  roughly  handled 
and  put  off  the  train,  in  Texas.  He  managed, 
however,  to  get  back  on,  and  found  his  way  to 
his  hiding  place,  and  he  was  glad  to  remain  in 
there  until  the  train  reached  the  end  of  its  jour 
ney.  He  thanked  me  kindly:,  for  ..what.  I  had  done 
for  him,  and  assured  ir~  that  he  would  have  no 


SEEKING  THE  BEST.  69 

difficulty  now  in  getting  back  to  Kansas  City, 
and  that  he  would  remember  me  to_Jhe__  longest 
day  he  lived.  TThe  soldiersT^K^ding  me  good- 
bye7TelFlHe  train  to  go  to  their  friends  and 
Respective  homes.  There  was  a  great  holiday  in 
Nashville  that  day;  drums  were  beating,  flags 
were  flying,  cannon  were  bursting,  and  men, 
women,  and  children  were  shouting  for  joy  at 
the  return  of  the  troops.  Enthusiasm  was  high 
indeed  in  Nashville  that  day. 

The  next  day,  after  visiting  the  schools  and 
some  friends,  I  was  given  transportation  to  St. 
Louis.  I  arrived  in  St.  Louis  the  next  morning, 
a  wiser_janji_jniich.__. stronger  man  than  I  was 
when  I  departed-a-  fortnight  before. 

This  event  of  my  life  happened  nearly  ten 
years  ago;  but  I  remember  the  incidents  almost 
as  clearly  and  as  distinctly  now  as  I  did  the 
week  after  they  happened. 


CHAPTER  XI. 


TEACHING  IN  MY  ALMA  MATER. 

Since  I  left  St.  Louis  County,  where  I  taught 
m,y  first  school,  many  important  things  have 
happened  in  my  life;  but  I  shall  not  attempt  to 
note  them  here.  I  have  enjoyed  the  school  work 
in  which  I  have  engaged  since  then.  The  uplift 
of  my  people  has  always  been  the  highest  aim 
in  my  mind,  and  I  have  conscientiously  striven 
to  that  end.  'Tis  true  I  have  made  mistakes; 
but  this  only  proves  me  mortal.  If  we  did  not 
make  mistakes,  we  would  be  perfect;  then  we 
could  not  dwell  here.  We  are  put  here  to  de 
velop  and  grow  into  perfection,  and  when  we 
become  completely  so,  God  has  use  for  us  in 
other  spheres. 

My  work  at  Versailles  for  one  year,  and  at 
Warrensburg  for  three,  was  entirely  satisfactory 
to  me.  I  am  sure  that  I  did  good  work  in  these 
places,  and  that  the  inspiration  lent  the  boys  and 
girls  is  lasting. 

I  know  of  no  event  in  my  life,  however,  so 

70 


SEEKING  THE  BEST.  71 

important  as  the  call  from  the  principalship  oi 
the  Howard  School  at  Warrensburg  to  teach  in 
the  English  and  mathematical  departments  at 
Lincoln  Institute,  my  Alma  Mater,  where  I  had 
spent  eight  of  the  happiest  years  of  my  existence 
as  a  student,  notwithstanding  the  hardships  that  I 
had  to  undergo.  This  call  alone  I  deem  an  honor 
worthy  of  note,  and  feel  proud  to  say  that  the 
four  years  spent  there  as  a  teacher  were  in  the 
interest  of  the  good  name  of  the  school  and  in 
the  interest  of  the  Negro  youth  of  the  State. 

I  loved  my  Alma  Mater,  and  was  loyal  to  her. 
I  felt  the  great  responsibility  which  rested  upon 
me  and  upon  those  in  whose  charge  she  was 
placed.  I  was  jealous  of  her  good  name,  and 
did  everything  in  my  power  to  sustain  it.  I  be 
lieved  that  when  a  student  or  teacher  was  caught 
in  wrong-doing  within  her  sacred  walls  or  upon 
her  sacred  premises,  he  should  suffer  the  severest 
consequences.  I  realized  that  the  school  should 
not  be  entrusted  to  careless  hands,  and  I  took 
a  stand  for  strict  discipline  and  high  morals.  And 
because  I  was  earnest  in  my  belief  and  backed 
it  up  with  forcible  words  on  all  occasions,  I  grew 
in  the  disfavor  of  the  President,  who  finally  rec 
ommended  my  dismissal  from  the  institution,  on 
the  ground  that  I  was  nervous  and  highly  ex- 


72  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 

citable  (which  meant  that  I  was  too  conscien 
tious)  ;  and  did  not  fit  well  in  the  work. 

My  four-year  stay  at  Lincoln  Institute  was 
time  by  no  means  wasted.  I  improved  myself 
in  many  ways.  I  was  always  busy  at  something. 
Besides  my  regular  school  work,  I  took  great  in 
terest  in  the  band  and  orchestra,  sustaining  these 
valuable  acquisitions  to  the  school  with  means 
from  my  own  pocket;  and  I  was  glad  to  make 
the  sacrifice  in  the  interest  of  the  school.  I  con 
tinued  to  write  essays  and  poems,  and  at  night 
in  my  room  found  much  pleasure  in  this  tedious 
work.  On  one  occasion  I  gave  a  poetic  recital 
to  the  Buskin  Society,  which  was  one  of  the  lit 
erary  organizations  of  the  Institute.  This  recital 
was  the  source  of  much  delight  to  all  present, 
and  was  for  a  long  time  after  the  comment  of 
the  whole  school. 

I  was  willing  at  all  times  to  aid  in  the  order 
and  discipline  of  the  place,  accompanying  the 
girls  to  the  city,  to  church,  or  to  the  country 
for  a  walk;  and  often  at  midnight  or  in  early 
morning  I  have  been  aroused  from  my  peaceful 
slumbers  to  see  some  boy  or  afflicted  girl  off  on 
the  train.  On  one  occasion  a  boy  died  in  the 
dormitory,  and  it  became  my  duty  to  take  charge 
of  the  body  and  accompany  his  father  home.  It 


73 


was  one  of  the  coldest  nights  in  winter,  and  we 
had  to  go  eighteen  miles  overland  that  night  be 
fore  we  could  reach  the  home  of  the  dead  boy 
and  come  into  the  presence  of  a  grief-stricken 
mother, 

I  also  enjoyed  my  work  in  the  school-room 
and  studied  for  the  entertainment  of  my  classes, 
and  sought  the  best  methods  for  presenting  sub 
jects  to  them.  If  interest  lagged,  I  always  hit  up 
on  some  scheme  to  stimulate  it.  One  of  my  meth 
ods,  entitled  "Football  in  the  Reading  Class," 
was  sent  to  the  Intelligence,  a  school  journal  pub 
lished  at  that  time  in  Oak  Park,  Illinois.  It 
was  accepted  and  caused  much  favorable  com 
ment  when  it  was  published.  The  article  as  it 
appeared  in  the  Intelligence  follows: 

FOOTBALL  IN  THE  READING  CLASS. 

Do  you  find  the  pupils  of  your  fourth  and 
fifth  grade  reading  classes  dull  and  inattentive? 
Do  you  find  it  impossible  to  awaken  them  in  any 
way?  Have  all  methods  failed?  If  they  have, 
as  a  last  resort,  try  this  one  :  Make  the  reading 
lesson  a  game  or  contest  between  the  boys  and 
girls.  Children  are  naturally  fond  of  games,  and 
if  all  their  recitations  could  be  conducted  on  the 
plan  of  some  game,  better  work  would  be  done 
by  the  so-called  dull  and  disinterested  ones, 


74  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 

I  find  it  an  admirable  plan  to  conduct  my 
reading  classes  on  the  order  of  a  football  game. 
Good  results  have  come  from  it,  and  I  think  my 
co-workers  will  agree  with  me  when  they  have 
tried  it  once. 

Assign  a  lesson  of  two  or  three  pages,  ac 
cording  to  the  general  ability  of  the  class,  and 
divide  the  recitation  period  into  "halves."  Call 
them  the  "first  half"  and  the  "second  half." 
Let  the  ends  of  the  paragraphs,  if  they  are  very 
long,  represent  "goals."  If  they  are  very  short, 
it  will  take  two  or  three  of  them  to  represent  a 
"goal." 

The  teacher,  as  referee,  shall  call  the  game. 
Let  a  girl,  for  instance,  get  up  and  read.  The 
boys  are  to  watch  closely  and  criticise,  and  im 
mediately  call  the  attention  of  the  teacher  to  any 
mistake  that  the  girl  makes. 

One,  two,  or  three  mistakes  may  be  consid 
ered  a  "down,"  according  to  the  rule  adopted 
by  the  teacher  and  class  beforehand.  If  a  girl 
makes  three  mistakes,  the  third  mistake  may  be 
called  the  "third  down,"  and  a  boy  takes  up  the 
reading  where  she  left  off. 

The  girls  are  now  on  the  alert  for  mistakes; 
and  when  a  boy  has  made  three  mistakes,  or 
"downs,"  as  we  call  them,  another  girl  takes  up 
the  reading,  and  if  she  goes  to  the  end  of  the 
paragraph  or  "goal"  without  making  a  mistake, 
she  has  made  a  "touchdown."  A  "touchdown" 
means  five  points  in  favor  of  the  girls. 

Then  if  the  girl,  or  any  one  on  her  side,  can 


SEEKING  THE  BEST.  75 

relate  smoothly  the  paragraph  or  portion  of  the 
story  read,  they  have  "kicked  goal,"  which  counts 
as  another  point,  making  the  score  6  to  0  in 
favor  of  the  girls.  The  game  can  thus  continue 
until  the  time  for  the  recitation  is  up,  and  the 
party  making  the  greatest  number  of  points  with 
in  the  limit  of  the  recitation  period  wins  the  game. 
This  reading  contest  may  be  had  not  too  fre 
quently,  but  as  often  as  the  teacher  deems  it  wise. 
It  will  not  be  void  of  results.  Try  it,  and  ite 
advantages  can  readily  be  appreciated. 

Many  other  methods  equally  productive  of 
results  have  I  resorted  to  in  my  class  work ;  but, 
since  this  is  not  a  treatise  on  pedagogy,  I  shall 
not  present  them  here.  I  only  mention  this  one 
instance  to  show  my  interest,  my  activity,  and 
my  resourcefulness  in  stimulating  dull  or  disin 
terested  minds  and  instilling  within  them  a  desire 
to  excel. 

To  improve  myself  along  the  lines  that  I  was 
teaching,  I  spent  three  successive  summers  in 
Chautauqua,  New  York.  I  felt  that  the  State 
Normal  for  Negroes  in  Missouri  ought  to  have 
the  best  talent  that  could  be  found,  and  I  set 
out  to  try  to  prepare  myself  to  satisfy  the  de 
mand,  so  far  as  I  was  concerned.  For  this  pur 
pose  I  found  that  there  was  no  better  place  than 
Chautauqua,  New  York. 


76  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 

Chautauqua,  a  charming  little  town  situated 
in  western  New  York,  on  the  banks  of  a  beauti 
ful  lake  which  bears  the  same  name,  has  a 
unique  history.  It  was  founded  by  Henry  Miller 
and  Bishop  Vincent,  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  back  in  the  early  seventies.  It  at  first 
was  used  as  a  camp-meeting  ground,  but  has 
since,  by  constant  growth  along  religious  and  in 
tellectual  lines  and  by  its  ever-increasing  and  ex 
tensive  lecture  course,  become  one  of  the  greatest 
educational  centers  of  the  world.  It  is  no  place 
for  idlers;  still,  one  can  sit  with  folded  hands 
and  breathe  the  intellectual  air,  and  thereby  be 
come  inspired  to  do  great  things.  Activity  seems 
to  be  the  watchword.  And  every  hour  of  the 
day,  from  seven  in  the  morning  till  ten  at  night, 
something  interesting,  something  beneficial  is  go 
ing  on.  The  best  lecturers,  the  best  writers,  the 
best  musicians,  the  best  scholars,  the  greatest  of 
earth  along  all  lines  of  work  or  professions,  are 
seen  and  heard  here. 

It  was  here,  under  some  of  the  best  special 
ists  in  our  American  colleges,  that  I  did  my  sum 
mer  work.  Latin,  German,  French,  higher  Eng 
lish,  Arithmetic,  Algebra,  and  Geometry  being  the 
subjects  which  I  took.  I  also  did  work  in  the 
School  of  Expression,  and  took  advantage  of  the 


SEEKING  THE  BEST.  77 

discussions  on  pedagogy  and  school  management 
in  the  Teachers'  Institute  of  New  York  State, 
held  on  the  grounds.  I  was  strengthened  intel 
lectually,  morally,  and  spiritually,  and  on  my 
return  to  Lincoln  Institute  endeavored  to  dissem 
inate  whatever  of  good  I  had  learned,  and  there 
by  benefit  the  youths  that  chanced  to  fall  under 
my  guardianship. 

While  at  Chautauqua,  I  took  advantage  of 
the  excursions  and  low  rates  to  visit  some  of  the 
larger  cities  of  the  East;  Boston,  New  York, 
Philadelphia,  Atlantic  City,  Asbury  Park,  Buf 
falo,  and  Niagara  Falls  being  included  in  my 
itinerary.  These  I  should  be  pleased  to  discuss 
in  detail,  for  my  visits  to  them  and  the  sights 
that  I  saw  while  at  them  aided  me  much  in  some 
of  the  subjects  that  I  was  called  upon  to  teach. 

Boston  is  perhaps  the  greatest  city  in  Amer 
ica  in  which  to  study  the  early  history  of  this 
country.  While  there,  I  visited  Harvard  Uni 
versity;  tHe  Boston  Public  Library,  said  to  be 
the  finest  in  the  country;  the  State  House,  the 
walls  of  which  are  decorated  with  historical  de 
signs  and  inscriptions ;  the  statue  of  Abraham 
Lincoln  breaking  the  shackles  from  the  Negro 
slaves ;  the  Old  South  Church ;  Faneuil  Hall ;  the 
spot  where  Crispus  Attacks,  the  Negro  hero,  fell ; 


78  SEEKING  THE  REST. 

and  a  hundred  other  places  of  historical  interest 
and  renown.  I  also  visited  Charlestown,  and  sat 
for  several  hours  at  the  foot  of  Bunker  Hill  Mon 
ument.  While  there  I  thought  of  the  battle 
fought  June  17,  1775 ,  and  the  many  Revolution 
ary  heroes  who  fell.  I  thought  of  Daniel  Web 
ster,  who  fifty  years  later  delivered  his  famous 
oration,  in  which  he  said:  "Venerable  men,  you 
have  come  down  to  us  from  a  former  generation. 
God  has  bounteously  lengthened  out  your  lives 
that  you  might  behold  this  glorious  day."  These 
and  other  thoughts  of  Colonial  days  held  my 
attention  for  hours. 

But  the  National  G.  A.  R.s,  who  were  meet 
ing  in  Boston  at  that  time,  claimed  most  of  my 
attention.  They  had  their  usual  street  parade, 
and  about  25,000  old  veterans  were  in  line.  Their 
feeble  steps,  gray  hairs,  and  bent  forms,  but 
cheerful  countenances,  furnished  material  and  in 
spiration  for  the  poem  entitled  "The  Old  Sol 
diers — Let  Them  Talk,"  found  in  another  por 
tion  of  this  book.  It  was  a  magnificent  sight 
and,  vision-like,  it  has  returned  to  me  many  times 
since. 


Bits  of  History 
in  Verse; 

OR 
A  Dream  of  Freedom  Realized 


CONTENTS 


Prologue.— The  Negro.— Secret  Hopes  of  Freedom.— 
Secret  Meetings.  —  The  Underground  Railroad. — 
Growing  Wise. — A  Bone  of  Contention. — Preparing 
for  a  Frolic. — On  the  Way. — The  Fun  Begins. — 
Something  Sad  About  It. — Indignation  and  Secession 
of  the  South.— The  Struggle  Between  the  North  and 
the  South. — The  Negro  Called  to  Arms.— Fighting 
for  Freedom. — The  Triumph. — Abraham  Lincoln. 


PROLOGUE. 


Sing  to  me,  O  Muses  of  Heaven, 

Of  a  race  that  has  had  its  sorrows, 

Had  its  griefs  and  its  woes  and  its  sufferings; 

Of  a  race  forlorn  and  forsaken, 

Of  a  race  despised  and  downtrodden; 

Of  a  race  from  shores  that  were  foreign, 

Was  ensnared  and  seized  and  bounden, 

And  brought  to  a  country  so  barren, 

A  country  so  wild  and  unsettled, 

And  sold  as  slaves  to  a  master, 

To  toil  and  be  driven  as  cattle, 

To  work  in  the  fields  and  the  forest, 

And  buiLd  up  a  new  land  and  country. 

Sing  to  me,  O  Muses  of  Heaven, 

Of  this  race  that  has  had  its  sorrows, 

Its  griefs  and  its  woes  and  its  sufferings; 

Condemned  and  scorned  and  called  worthless, 

Because  of  its  lowly  condition; 

For  which  'tis  not  called  on  to  answer, 

For  which  other  races  must  answer, 

Since  others  have  caused  it  to  be  so, 


84  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 

| 

Condemned  and  scorned  and  called  worthless, 

Because  of  its  swarthy  complexion; 

A  birthmark  of  honor — God-given, 

Which  no  man  should  'tempt  to  be  rid  of  ; 

A  mark  that  we  all  should  be  proud  of, 

Because  it  is  true  and  God-given. 

Sing  to  me,  O  Muses  of  Heaven, 

Of  this  race,  forlorn  and  forsaken, 

Of  this  race,  despised  and  downtrodden ; 

That  was  seized  from  shores  that  were  foreign 

And  brought  to  the  farms  and  plantations, 

In  America's  land  of  the  sunshine, 

To  the  land  of  the  palm  and  palmetto, 

To  dwell  and  be  simple  and  thankful, 

In  the  huts  and  the  rude  little  cabins. 

Built  by  the  hands  of  a  master, 

To  protect  from  the  winds  and  the  weather. 

Sing  to  me,  O  Muses  of  Heaven, 
Of  this  race  that  was  sold  to  a  master, 
To  toil  and  be  driven  as  cattle; 
To  work  in  the  fields  and  the  forest, 
And  build  up  a  new  land  and  country, 
A  country  that  now  is  the  foremost, 
That  stands  at  the  head  of  all  others, 
In  science,  art  and  achievements, 


SEEKING  THE  BEST.  85 

And  things  which  persuade  us  to  wonder. 
So  great  that  all  nations  respect  her, 
And  call  her  to  settle  their  quarrels; 
A  country  owing  much  of  its  greatness, 
In  wealth  and  other  achievements, 
To  the  faithful  toil  of  the  black  man, 

Condemned  and  scorned  and  called  worthless, 

Because  of  his  lowly  condition, 

For  which  he's  not  called  on  to  answer, 

For  which  other  races  must  answer, 

Since  they  have  caused  him  to  be  so. 

A  country,  with  its  lakes  and  its  rivers, 

Its  forests,  its  fields,  and  its  landscapes, 

Its  mountains,  its  hills,  and  its  valleys; 

A  country  with  beauty  surpassing. 

And  the  Negro,  who  toiled  to  help  make  it, 

Deserves  a  big  share  in  its  profit. 

A  race  condemned  and  called  worthless, 
Because  of  its  swarthy  complexion ; 
A  birthmark  of  honor — God-given, 
Which  no  man  should  'tempt  to  be  rid  of; 
A  mark  that  we  should  all  be  proud  of, 
Because  'tis  true  and  God-given, 
Vast  fields  of  rice  and  tobacco, 
And  things  that  are  wealth-producing, 


86  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 

Were  made  by  the  hands  of  the  Negro ; 
A  race  forlorn  and  forsaken, 
A  race  despised  and  downtrodden, 
That  from  the  shores  that  were  foreign 
Was  ensnared  and  seized  and  bounden; 
And  brought  to  a  country  so  barren ; 
A  country  so  wild  and  unsettled. 

Sing  to  me,  O  Muses  of  Heaven, 
Of  this  race  that  was  sold  to  a  master, 
To  toil  and  be  driven  as  cattle, 
To  work  in  the  fields  and  the  forests 
And  build  up  a  new  land  and  country ; 
The  brightest  and  best  among  nations; 
The  land  of  the  pine  and  the  fig-tree, 
The  land  of  the  flowers  and  sunshine; 
America's  beautiful  Southland. 
Sing  to  me,  O  Muses  of  Heaven, 
Of  the  race  that  is  called  the  Negro, 


THE  NEGRO. 


See  him  on  the  old  plantation, 
As  he  toils  and  labors  daily; 
Labors  long,  from  morn  till  evening, 
In  the  fields  of  cane  and  cotton; 
Silver  cotton,  "king  of  market," 
In  America's  great  Southland ; 
In  the  land  of  flowers  and  sunshine. 
Always  faithful,  ever  hopeful 
For  a  day  of  sweet  deliverance 
From  the  hands  of  some  cruel  master, 
Growing  rich  and  growing  prosperous 
By  the  toil  of  faithful  servants. 
Growing  rich  and  prosperous  daily 
By  the  hands  of  those  he  hated, 
By  the  hands  of  those  he  punished. 
Thus  the  Negro  labored  onward, 
Watched  and  dogged  by  overseer, 
Fed  on  food  so  coarse  and  scanty, 
Scarcely  'nough  to  keep  him  going. 
Scarcely  'nough  to  keep  him  living; 
Just  enough  to  keep  him  working 
Was  the  food  on  which  they  fed  him, 

87 


88  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 

Clad  in  clothes  that  weren't  sufficient 
To  protect  him  from  the  weather, 
From  the  cruel  blasts  of  winter 
That  extend  into  the  Southland, 
In  the  land  of  the  palmetto, 
In  the  land  of  flowers  and  sunshine; 
Just  enough  to  hide  his  person 
Were  the  clothes  in  which  they  clad  him. 
Thus  he  traveled  meekly  onward, 
Going  to  the  tasks  they  gave  him 
With  a  sort  of  resignation, 
.    Not  unlike  a  beast  of  burden; 
Like  unto  a  faithful  Christian, 
Doomed  to  die  from  pain  and  torture, 
On  account  of  some  great  principle; 
So  the  Negro  traveled  onward, 
Quite  despondent,  heavy-hearted, 
Always  faithful,  not  unhopeful, 
Of  a  day  of  sweet  deliverance. 


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SECRET   HOPES   OF   FREEDOM 


In  the  fields  he  was  always  singing, 
Pouring  forth  the  grief  within  him 
In  the  strains  of  sweetest  music, 
Giving  vent  to  thoughts  and  feelings 
In  the  tones  of  minor  music; 
Tones  that  set  us  longing,  yearning, 
For  a  home  that  's  far  off  yonder, 
For  a  land  that  's  bright  with  sunshine, 
For  a  place  that  knows  no  bondage, 
Knows  no  master,  knows  no  sorrow. 
In  a  land  that  's  'way  off  somewhere, 
In  a  place  we  know  not  of, 
In  the  mind  are  only  glimpses. 
And  they  spent  the  days  in  singing, 
Working  in  the  fields  of  cotton, 
Mother  thinking  of  her  children, 
Father  mindful  of  his  family. 
Thus  the  Negro  labored  onward, 
Singing  in  his  woe  and  misery, 
Hoping  for  the  days  of  freedom, 
Dreaming  dreams  of  happy  freedom, 
For  the  freedom  of  his  family. 
And  he  often  sat  and  brooded, 


90  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 

In  the  hours  of  darkest  midnight, 

In  the  days  before  the  war-time, 

In  the  gloom  of  cruel  slavery, 

With  no  gleam  of  light  as  freedom, 

But  with  hope  within  his  bosom; 

With  a  hope  he  dared  not  speak  of, 

Or  to  think  of  very  often, 

Lest  someone  might  hear  him  thinking, 

Tell  the  driver,  cruel  master, 

Who  was  willing,  always  ready, 

When  the  least  excuse  was  given, 

To  inflict  a  hundred  lashes 

On  the  backs  of  humble  servants, 

Toiling  for  their  master's  welfare. 

But  his  secrets  burned  within  him, 

Burned  so  bright  and  were  so  cheerful 

That  he  could  not  keep  them  longer, 

Had  to  share  them  with  his  brother; 

For  his  brother  toiled  beside  him, 

Shared  his  griefs  and  shared  his  burdens, 

Suffered  pain  and  suffered  hunger, 

Just  the  same  as  he  had  suffered. 

Then,  if  there  was  any  joy 

In  that  dream  of  coming  freedom, 

Why  not,  why  not  tell  his  brother, 

Let  him  have  that  selfsame  feeling, 

Which  doth  buoy  us  up  and  onward 


SEEKING.  THE  BEST.  91 

In  our  trials  and  tribulations, 
Makes  us  bright  and  gay  and  happy 
'Cause  of  something  better  for  us? 
So  he  told  his  trusted  brother; 
They  began  their  secret  meetings, 
Whispering  softly  to  each  other 
Some  of  the  secrets  of  their  masters, 
As  they  accident'ly  heard  them 
Talking  of  their  lands  and  Negroes, 
What  might  happen  in  the  future 
If  the  Northern  people  triumphed 
In  th'  election  coming  onward; 
What  might  happen  to  the  Negroes, 
What  might  happen  to  the  Southland, 
What  might  happen  to  the  household, 
If  the  Northern  people  triumphed 
In  th'  election  coming  onward. 


92  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 


SECRET   MEETINGS, 


And  they  held  their  secret  meetings, 
Learned  a  great  deal  from  each  other 
That  they  theretofore  knew  not  of ; 
For  they  had  no  way  of  knowing, 
Could  not  read  the  weekly  journals, 
For  their  masters  had  prevented 
Them  from  study  and  from  learning, 
So  that  they  were  dull  and  ignorant — 
Dull  and  ignorant,  void  of  learning. 
Thus  their  masters  strove  to  keep  them; 
But  they  held  their  secret  meetings, 
Learned  a  great  deal  from  each  other, 
Learned  that  other  Negroes  cherished 
In  their  hearts  and  in  their  bosoms 
Love  of  freedom,  love  of  manhood; 
That  the  hope  was  universal, 
In  the  breast  of  every  Negro, 
That  at  some  time  in  the  future, 
Negroes  all  should  have  their  freedom. 


SEEKING  THE  BEST.  93 


THE   UNDERGROUND   RAILROAD. 


Learned  about  a  few  uprisings 
By  the  Negroes  of  the  Southland; 
How  they  flew  to  arms  of  sudden, 
Killed  their  masters  and  their  families, 
Made  a  dash  for  freedom  northward, 
But  were  caught  and  killed  while  fleeing 
Toward  the  land  of  freedom  northward. 
Learned  about  a  secret  railway, 
All  about  the  stations  near  it; 
How  the  slaves  had  traveled  on  it, 
How  they  hid  themselves  in  day-time, 
How  they  traveled  in  the  night-time; 
All  about  the  ones  who  ran  it, 
All  about  their  secret  kindness: 
How  they  'd  help  the  Negro  onward, 
Onward  through  the  secret  passage, 
Till  he  reached  the  land  of  freedom, 
Land  of  freedom  to  the  northward. 


94  SEEKING   THE  3EST. 


GROWING    WISE. 


Still  they  held  their  secret  meetings, 
And  their  minds  grew  sharp  and  subtle, 
And  they  learned  to  trust  each  other; 
Never  hinting,  never  breathing-, 
What  was  said  in  secret  meetings. 
And  their  masters  did  not  know  that 
They  had  gotten  so  much  knowledge, 
So  much  craft  and  so  much  cunning, 
In  those  quiet  secret  meetings, 
Else  they  would  have  quickly  stopped  them, 
Whipped  them  with  a  wicked  cowhide, 
Probably  sold  them  further  southward, 
To  a  mean  and  cruel  master, 
Just  because  they  had  such  wisdom, 
Which  they  might  impart  to  others, 
Make  them  wise  and  make  them  crafty, 
Make  them  mean  and  hard  to  handle. 


SEEKING  THE  BEST.  95 


A  BONE  OF  CONTENTION. 


Still  they  held  their  secret  meetings, 
Learned  some  of  the  burning  questions, 
That  were  talked  of  in  the  Southland ; 
Learned  that  there  was  quite  a  struggle 
Tween  the  North  and  sunny  Southland, 
O'er  the  bondage  of  the  Negro/ 
O'er  the  question  of  his  freedom, 
And  the  anger  of  the  southman, 
And  the  firmness  of  the  northman, 
In  the  election  coming  onward. 
What  would  happen  to  the  Negro, 
What  would  happen  to  the  Southland, 
If  the  Northern  people  triumphed 
In  th'  election  coming  onward. 
But  they  never  breathed  or  hinted 
What  they  learned  in  secret  meeting 
Tc  their  young  and  simple  brothers; 
For  they  feared  they  might  not  keep  it. 
They  were  young  and  they  were  thoughtless, 
Full  of  fun  and  prone  to  frolic, 
Which  they  practiced  in  the  night-time, 
When  their  masters  were  asleeping, 
When  their  masters  could  not  see  them, 


96  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 


PREPARING  FOR  A  FROLIC 


See  them  when  their  work  is  over. 

Fixing  for  a  dance  or  frolic 

In  a  vacant  Negro  shantv 

In  a  valley  far  off  yonder, 

In  a  valley  ten  miles  distant. 

How  are  they  to  go  the  journey  ? 

Tired  from  working  with  the  cotton, 

Tired  from  working  in  the  corn-field, 

Tired  from  struggle  with  the  oxen, 

Tired  of  laboring  all  the  day  long. 

Harder  problems  have  they  solved, 

Harder  questions  have  they  answered; 

Closer  places  have  they  been  in 

Than  the  question  of  this  distance, 

Of  this  distance  to  the  valley. 

How  to  get  a  Christmas  dinner, 

How  to  dress  up  for  a  party, 

How  to  satisfy  their  hunger 

When  their  masters  failed  to  feed  them, 

How  to  get  a  Sunday  garment 

When  their  masters  failed  to  clothe  them, 

These  and  other  harder  problems 

Had  they  solvecl  with  ease  so  often 


SEEKING  THE  BEST.  97 


That  to  them  was  second  nature. 
Every  evil  has  its  remedy, 
Every  problem  its  solution, 
And  this  little  ten-mile  distance 
Was  no  barrier  to  their  pleasure. 


98  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 


'ON  THE  ROAD. 


They  would  steal  old  master's  horses, 
Fat  and  sleek  and  full  of  spirit; 
Steal  them  while  that  he  was  sleeping, 
Soundly  sleeping  in  his  mansion; 
From  the  stable  would  they  steal  them, 
Ride  them  upward  through  the  valley 
To  the  place  of  fun  and  frolic, 
Till  they  reached  the  very  doorway 
Of  the  place  of  fun  and  frolic. 
There  a  score  or  more  of  Negroes 
Would  assemble  in  the  night-time, 
Would  assemble  for  their  pleasure, 
After  toiling  hard  the  day  long, 
After  toiling  hard  the  week  long. 
Thus  they  whiled  away  their  sorrow, 
Thus  they  made  their  burdens  lighter. 
Thus  they  had  their  recreation, 
Through  a  life  that  was  a  struggle, 


SEEKING  THE  BEST.  99 


THE    FUN    BEGINS. 


There  they'd  meet  and  greet  eacti  other, 
Some  in  mistress'  evening  dresses, 
Some  in  master's  Sunday  garments, 
Some  in  clothes  that  did  not  fit  them, 
Some  in  waistcoats  old  and  rusty, 
Some  in  things  that  were  respectful, 
Suited  for  this  glad  occasion. 
And  they'd  stay  till  day  was  breaking, 
Keeping  time  to  bow  and  fiddle ; 
Bowing,  scraping,  cutting  capers, 
Treading  softly,  stamping  loudly, 
Stamping  loudly  to  the  music. 
Fun  it  was  to  see  them  dancing, 
Keeping  time  to  bow  and  fiddle. 
But  the  joyous  dance  was  ended 
With  the  dawn  of  early  morning. 
And  the  Negroes  scampered  homeward 
From  the  place  of  fun  and  frolic 
To  the  place  of  toil  and  labor, 
Lighter  hearted,  better  spirited, 
By  the  contact  with  the  neighbors 
From  the  gther.  big  plantations, 


100  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 


SOMETHING   SAD  ABOUT  IT. 


Thus  the  Negroes  stole  their  pleasures, 
In  the  darkness  of  the  midnight, 
Midst  the  gloom  of  cruel  slavery, 
In  the  days  before  the  war-time. 
Though  we  smile,  for  'tis  amusing, 
There  is  something  sad  about  it; 
Something  sad  about  their  doings, 
Something  sad  about  their  pleasures. 
In  their  singing  there  was  sadness, 
In  their  dancing  there  was  pathos, 
In  their  nonsense  there  was  pity. 
And  our  eyes  begin  to  moisten, 
Down  our  cheeks  the  tears  to  trickle, 
When  we  come  to  think  about  it : 
How  these  Negroes,  worn  and  weary, 
Nothing  in  the  world  to  hope  for, 
Nothing  in  their  lives  to  live  for, 
'Tween  the  hours  of  night  and  morning, 
Had  to  steal  a  little  pleasure, 
Had  to  steal  a  little  pastime. 


INDIGNATION  AND  SECESSION  OF  THE 
SOUTH. 


While  the  Negroes  thus  were  sorrowing, 
And  were  stealing  out  at  midnight, 
And  were  holding  secret  meetings, 
And  were  having  secret  pleasures, 
In  the  breasts  of  Southern  white  men 
Burned  the  flames  of  indignation, 
Burned  the  fire  of  bitter  hatred 
For  a  class  of  Northern  people, 
'Cause  they  interfered  with  slavery, 
Would  not  have  it  in  the  Northland, 
Tried  to  stop  it  in  the  Southland, 
Put  a  limitation  on  it. 
And  disputes  grew  very  heated, 
In  the  Congress  of  the  country, 
O'e.r  the  awful  slavery  question, 
O'er  tne  Negro  and  his  freedom, 
O'er  the  Negro  and  the  Union. 
And  th'  election  coming  onward 
Set  the  Southern  people  thinking, 
Planning  what  to  do  if  beaten, 
If  defeated  in  th'  election. 

101 


102  SEEKING  THE  BE'ST. 

In  the  course  of  many  events, 
Far  too  many  to  relate  here, 
Things  had  taken  on  an  aspect 
That  was  threat'ning  immense  danger 
To  the  Union  and  the  country 
Of  the  States  in  North  America; 
For  the  North  had  been  victorious, 
And  the  South  had  been  defeated, 
In  th'  election  in  the  fall-time. 
Abraham  Lincoln  was  elected 
As  the  chief  of  this  great  Nation. 
Then  the  Southern  States  seceded; 
Said,  "Too  much,  we  cannot  bear  it." 
And  they  cut  the  ties  that  bound  them 
To  the  Union  and  the  statehood, 
And  established  in  their  own  land, 
In  the  land  of  cane  and  cotton, 
In  the  land  of  flowers  and  sunshine, 
In  the  land  of  slave  and  master, 
Government  suited  for  their  people. 
Thus  the  Union  went  to  pieces, 
Thus  the  government  of  our  fathers, 
Who  had  fought  the  Revolution, 
Who  had  builded  up  a  nation, 
Went  to  pieces  in  a  twinkling. 
When  affairs  had  reached  this  crisis, 
And  the  South  seemed  so  determined 


SEEKING  THE  BEST.  103 

In  their  efforts  to  establish 
As  an  independent  nation, 
Free  to  exercise  her  State  right, 
Free  to  buy  and  sell  her  Negroes. 
Then  the  North  went  into  counsel, 
And  discussed  the  situation; 
And  came  out  with  this  decision: 
That  they  'd  go  into  the  Southland, 
Whip  this  bold,  rebellious  people; 
Force  them  back  into  the  Union, 
Make  them  do  \vhat  they  were  bidden. 
And  they  went  into  the  Southland 
With  a  great  determination 
Just  to  do  what  they  decided. 


104  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 


A   STRUGGLE   BETWEEN   THE    NORTH 
AND  SOUTH. 


Thus  began  a  fearful  struggle 
Tween  the  North  and  sunny  Southland. 
But  the  North  had  underrated 
Those  with  whom  they  were  to  combat ; 
Did  not  know  their  strength  in  battle, 
Did  not  know  of  their  equipments, 
Did  not  know  of  their  resources, 
Did  not  know  of  their  surroundings, 
Did  not  know  the  intense  feeling 
Burning  in  the  Southern  bosom. 
They  forgot  that  they  were  brothers, 
Brothers  in  the  Revolution, 
Brothers  in  the  strife  for  freedom 
From  the  tyranny  of  England, 
And  there  was  that  fire  and  valor 
In  the  hearts  of  Southern  warriors, 
Just  the  same  as  Northern  foeman. 
So  they  fought  a  bloody  struggle 
With  the  brave  and  fearless  Southman. 


THE  CALL  OF  THE  NEGRO  TO  ARMS. 


But  they  found  they  could  not  conquer 
In  the  time  which  they  expected. 
So  they  had  to  call  the  Negro, 
Call  the  Negro  to  assist  them. 
"Come  and  help  us,  colored  brother, 
Come  and  help  us  fight  these  rebels, 
Help  us  whip  these  Southern  people, 
And  we  '11  give  to  you  your  freedom." 
Thus  they  spake  unto  the  Negro; 
And  the  Negro  quickly  answered 
To  this  cry  for  their  assistance. 
And  they  went  with  pride  and  pleasure 
To  the  struggling  Northern  army, 
And  they  fought  like  fire  and  fury 
'Gainst  their  brave  old  Southern  masters, 
'Gainst  the  ones  who  once  had  owned  them, 
'Gainst  the  ones  who  oft  had  flogged  them. 
With  a  will  and  with  a  vengeance, 
Wild  with  rage  they  'd  charge  an  army, 
Sweeping  everything  before  them. 
And  the  stories  that  were  spreading, 
That  the  Negroes  all  were  cowards, 

105 


106  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 

Would  not  stand  their  ground  when  fired  at, 

Proved  to  be  a  groundless  theory; 

That  the  Negro  was  a  warrior, 

Was  a  brave  and  fearless  foeman, 

Worthy  of  the  place  they  gave  him, 

In  the  ranks  of  loyal  subjects. 

Thus  we  find  him  fighting  bravely 

In  the  line  of  dreadful  battle, 

Striking  blows  to  gain  his  freedom, 

Striking  blows  to  save  the  Union. 


THE   TRIUMPH 


Then  at  last  the  struggle  ended, 
And  the  North  came  out  victorious, 
And  the  South  came  up  defeated, 
Had  to  come  back  to  the  Union, 
Had  to  give  up  all  their  Negroes, 
Had  to  do  as  they  were  bidden. 
There  was  sorrow  in  the  Southland, 
There  was  gloom  instead  of  sunshine, 
There  were  tears  instead  of  joy, 
There  were  prayers  instead  of  curses, 
There  was  quiet  'stead  of  boasting, 
There  was  freedom  'stead  of  slavery, 
There  was  union  'stead  of  discord, 
When  the  civil  strife  was  over. 
There  was  joy  in  the  Northland, 
There  were  shoutings  'mongst  its  people, 
There  were  tears  and  there  was  weeping; 
Not  the  tears  of  the  defeated, 
But  the  tears  of  joy  and  victory. 
There  was  honor  for  Abe  Lincoln, 
For  the  good  that  he'd  accomplished 
For  the  Negro  and  the  Union, 
For  this  country  and  its  people. 

107 


108  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 

And  the  Negroes  left  their  masters, 

Quit  the  scenes  of  early  childhood, 

Quit  the  sunny  old  plantation, 

Quit  with  sorrow  and  rejoicing. 

Scattred  'round  about  the  country, 

Sorrowing  'cause  they  loved  their  masters, 

Spite  of  all  the  cruel  treatment, 

Spite  of  all  the  scars  and  bruises 

That  their  masters  left  upon  them 

Be  it  said,  much  to  their  credit, 

All  the  masters  were  not  cruel. 

Some  were  good  and  kind  and  gentle 

To  their  slaves  and  household  servants, 

To  the  ones  who  toiled  to  help  them. 

Some  of  them  were  quite  devoted 

To  their  good  and  faithful  Negroes ; 

Would  not  let  them  be  mistreated 

By  a  cruel  overseer ; 

Treated  them  the  same  as  family, 

Sharing  with  them  food  and  raiment, 

Giving  everything  they  needed 

For  protection  'gainst  the  weather 

And  to  satisfy  their  hunger. 

And  the  Negroes  loved  such  masters, 

Did  'most  everything  to  please  them; 

And  they  left  them  with  reluctance 

When  the  civil  war  was  ended, 

When  the  slavery  days  were  over. 


ABRAHAM    LINCOLN. 


Lincoln  was  a  noble  statesman, 
Good  and  great  and  full  of  wisdom. 
He  it  was  that  saved  the  Union, 
He  it  was  that  freed  the  Negro. 
And  to  him  they  should  pay  homage, 
Never  cease  to  do  him  honor, 
Never  criticise  his  actions, 
Never  quarrel  or  feel  offended, 
'Cause  he  did  not  talk  to  suit  them. 
Understand  that  he  was  cautious, 
Could  not  speak  the  feelings  in  him, 
Had  to  hide  his  real  motives, 
Else  he  could  not  save  the  Union, 
Else  he  could  not  free  the  Negroes. 
Read  his  life  and  read  his  history, 
And  you  '11  learn  the  goodness  in  him, 
Learn  his  chief  desires  and  wishes 
Toward  this  evil  of  the  country; 
What  he  said  in  early  childhood, 
How  he  'd  smite  this  institution, 
What  an  awful  blow  he  'd  hit  it, 
109 


110  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 

So  the  Negro  gained  his  freedom, 
Through  the  goodness  of  Abe  Lincoln 
Let  us  praise  him,  let  us  love  him, 
For  he  richly  doth  deserve  it. 
Let  the  world  fall  down  and  worship 
At  the  shrine  of  Abraham  Lincoln — 
Abraham  Lincoln,  that  great  statesman; 
Abraham  Lincoln,  that  great  martyr; 
Abraham  Lincoln,  herald  of  freedom, 
In  the  Southland  of  America  1 


Essays 


VITAL  FACTORS  IN  THE  GROWTH  OF 
CIVILIZATION. 


My  Graduating  Oration,  delivered  in  June,  1897. 

We  to-day,  at  the  beginning  of  the  twentieth 
century,  can  look  back  into  ages  that  have  passed, 
and  in  the  far  distance  we  can  behold  the  rise  and 
fall  of  nations ;  we  can  see  cities  built  up  firm  and 
compact  to-day,  but  to-morrow  crumbled  to  the 
very  ground  upon  which  they  stood ;  we  can  look 
upon  dreadful  battle-fields,  and  see  the  bodies  of 
fallen  braves  bleeding  and  writhing  in  the  throes 
of  death;  we  can  see  masters  scourging  their 
slaves;  we  can  hear  the  cry  for  mercy  from  the 
poor  and  oppressed  of  all  nations  ;  we  can  see  the 
Church  struggling  for  existence  and  supremacy; 
we  can  see  many  forms  of  government  spring  up 
and  try  to  predominate,  but,  like  bubbles  upon 
the  mighty  deep,  they  are  soon  blotted  out  of 
existence. 

Then,  after  having  thus  observed,  we  begin  to 
philospohize,  and  try  to  seek  out  the  causes  and 
the  nature  of  the  causes  that  have  brought  about 

113 


114  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 

these  direful  results ;  why  nations  have  risen  and 
fallen;  why  cities  have  collapsed;  why  war  and 
tumult  have  shattered  empires  and  kingdoms; 
why  societies  have  been  disorganized  and  govern 
ments  have  been  broken  up. 

To  investigate  the  matter  further,  we  take  a 
second  look  adown  the  dim  vista  of  time,  and  in 
the  far  distance  we  can  see  the  outlines  of  a  rug 
ged  path  winding  its  way  through  the  distant 
ages.  It  continues  in  an  onward  course,  widen 
ing  here  and  narrowing  there,  until  finally  it  reach 
es  and  spreads  itself  round  about  us.  This  path 
may  be  known  as  the  path  of  Civilization.  Just  as 
the  mighty  rivers  which  flow  through  our  conti 
nents  have  left  their  marks  and  traces  upon  the 
mountains  and  steep  cliffs,  the  valleys  and  fertile 
plains,  so  has  Civilization,  in  her  onward  march, 
indelibly  stamped  herself  and  character  upon  the 
remote  ages  and  the  beaten  shores  of  time.  And 
the  disasters  mentioned  in  the  beginning  are  not 
disasters  simply,  but  they  represent  the  step^ 
trodden  by  Civilization  in  her  onward  march. 

Civilization  is  defined  as  a  condition  of  human 
community  characterized  by  political  and  social 
organization,  advancement  in  knowledge,  wealth, 
and  refinement,  the  arts,  literature,  and  science. 
In  a  more  general  idea,  it  is  an  improved  condi- 


SEEKING  THE  BEST.  115 

tion  of  man  resulting  from  the  establishment  of 
social  order  in  place  of  the  individual  indepen 
dence  and  lawlessness  of  savage  or  barbarous 
life.  It  consists  of  two  principles,  two  charac 
teristics — individual  progress  and  social  amelior 
ation.  These  two  principles  are  vital  factors  in 
the  growth  and  evolution  of  Civilization.  With 
out  them  states  and  nations  cannot  exist,  empires 
and  kingdoms  must  fall,  and  disorder,  violence, 
and  barbarism  will  prevail.  They  are  as  essen 
tial  to  life  and  the  growth  of  a  nation  as  the 
organs  of  respiration  are  to  the  body. 

After  four  thousand  years  of  strife  and  con 
flict,  we  find  that  Egypt  had  developed  a  civiliza 
tion,  the  first  recorded  upon  the  pages  of  history. 
In  many  things  it  surpassed  ours.  When  it  was 
at  its  height,  art,  literature  and  science  flour 
ished,  manufactories  and  industries  were  oper 
ated,  and  general  enlightenment  and  intelligence 
characterized  her  time.  But,  unfortunately  for 
this  country,  certain  things  which  attend  Civili 
zation  in  her  onward  march  are  things  which 
drag  nations  down.  Discontent,  desire  to  rule, 
ambition,  amalgamation,  are  things  which  de 
velop  Civilization.  And  Egypt,  like  other  na 
tions  that  have  become  a  victim  to  an  excess  of 
these  qualities,  tottered,  and,  after  a  few  declin- 


116  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 

ing  years,  war  and  tumult,  ambition  of  kings, 
non-unity,  and  amalgamation  of  people,  discon 
tinued  the  empire,  whose  achievements  and  ac 
complishments  furnish  the  first  topics  to  go  down 
upon  the  pages  of  history.  Says  one,  "Her  mis 
sion  among  nations  was  fulfilled.  She  had  lit  the 
torch  of  Civilization  in  ages  inconceivably  remote, 
and  had  passed  it  on  to  other  people  of  the  West." 
What  is  true  of  Egypt  is  none  the  less  true  of 
other  countries.  Greece  and  Rome  had  their  day 
of  prosperity  and  adversity.  They  experienced 
infancy,  they  experienced  youth,  and,  like  a  thief 
in  the  night,  old  age  came  and  found  them  torn 
and  rent  asunder  on  account  of  disobedience  and 
disregard  for  the  laws  of  Civilization. 

Then  surely,  if  this  be  the  case  with  other  na 
tions,  it  devolves  upon  us  as  citizens  to  look  after 
and  study  for  the  development  of  these  two  prin 
ciples — individual  progress  and  social  ameliora 
tion.  It  devolves  upon  us  as  citizens  to  advance 
ourselves  individually  and  to  help  others  to  ad 
vance  ;  for  if  we  fail  in  this,  then  proud  America, 
who  now  stands  foremost  in  the  rank  of  nations, 
and  whose  torch  of  progress,  like  the  burning  sun, 
sends  its  rays  of  gleaming  light  throughout  the 
world,  will  fail,  fail,  and  go  down  with  other  na 
tions  to  mingle  with  the  wreckage  that  marks  the 


SEEKING  THE  BEST.  117 

footprints  of  the  fleeting  ages.  Let  us  remember 
that  our  country  is  not  invincible,  neither  are  its 
people  infallible. 

It  was  in  the  fifth  century  when  Rome  fell  at 
the  hands  of  the  barbarians.  Her  pride,  her 
splendor,  her  magnificence,  and  her  all  fell  with 
her,  only  to  be  replaced  by  the  rude,  uncouth, 
and  degenerate  habits  of  the  barbarians. 

The  history  of  European  civilization  dates 
from  this  period.  We  may  trace  it  from  the  fall 
of  the  Roman  Empire  to  the  present  date,  and  we 
shall  find  that  war,  slavery,  tyranny,  and  things 
which  are  characteristic  of  modern  civilization 
were  impelling  forces  in  European  civilization. 
They  brought  about  revolution/  and  revolution 
brought  about  reformation,  and  reformation 
made  civilization  what  it  is  to-day. 

The  first  phase  of  European  civilization  that 
presents  itself  to  us  is  that  of  the  feudal  system,  a 
tyrannical  form  of  government  which  sprang  up 
under  the  existing  circumstances.  It  was  a  form 
of  government  which  oppressed  the  poor  and 
made  them  serfs  and  slaves  to  nobles.  They 
were  held  apart.  They  had  no  way  by  which 
they  could  exchange  views  and  ideas,  and  as  a 
result  social  and  political  organization  was  made 
impossible.  This  wretched  state  of  affairs  exist- 


118  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 

ed  for  some  centuries,  when  finally  a  second  phase 
or  condition  presented  itself.  This  phase  was 
marked  by  general  dissatisfaction.  Uprisings  and 
revolutions  were  of  frequent  occurrence.  All 
Europe  was  in  an  uproar.  All  attempts  to  re 
establish  an  empire  were  void  of  result.  War  and 
tumult,  disorder  and  violence,  seemed  to  be  the 
chief  occupation  of  men.  And  not  until  the  eve 
of  the  eleventh  century,  when  the  Crusade  move 
ment  was  brought  about  and  agitated  by  Peter 
the  Hermit,  did  this  unsettled  state  of  affairs 
cease  to  exist. 

Yea,  it  ceased  when  all  Europe  became  united, 
when  all  minds  centered  on  one  thought,  and  all 
hands  worked  in  common  for  the  accomplishment 
of  a  single  purpose.  Then,  when  unity  was  estab 
lished,  when  the  minds  of  the  people  had  become 
centralized,  when  the  interest  of  one  man  became 
the  interest  of  another,  when  selfishness  and  dis 
regard  for  the  rights  of  other  was  laid  aside,  then 
civilization,  like  the  American  eagle,  took  an  up 
ward  flight,  and  began  to  soar  higher  and  higher, 
penetrating  farther  and  farther  into  the  realms 
of  infinity.  In  the  language  of  another :  "With 
want  destroyed,  with  greed  changed  to  noble  pas 
sion,  with  fraternity  that  is  born  of  equality 
taking  the  place  of  the  jealousy  and  fear  that  ar- 


SEEKING  THE  BEST.  119 

-ay  men  against  each  other,  with  mental  powers 
loosed  by  conditions  that  give  to  the  humblest 
comfort  and  leisure,  and  who  shall  measure  the 
height  to  which  our  civilization  may  soar? 

"Words  fail  the  thought.  It  is  the  golden  age 
of  which  poets  have  sung  and  high-raised  seers 
have  told  in  metaphor;  it  is  the  glorious  vision 
which  has  always  haunted  men  with  gleams  of 
fitful  splendor;  it  is  what  he  saw  at  Patmos 
whose  eyes  were  closed  in  a  trance,  it  is  the  cul 
mination  of  Christianity,  the  city  of  God  on 
earth,  with  its  walls  of  jasper  and  its  gates  of 
pearl ;  it  is  the  reign  of  the  Prince  of  Peace." 


THE  PERPETUITY.  OF   THE   RACE. 


I  am  glad  to  know  that  the  Negroes  of  the 
United  States  are  rapidly  becoming  educated.  I 
am  glad  to  know  that  they  have  commenced  to 
write  books,  print  papers,  and  make  a  literature 
and  history  for  themselves  •  that  they  have  begun 
to  look  after  such  things  as  are  essential  to  the 
culture  and  refinement  of  a  country  or  a  nation; 
that  the  leaders  of  the  race  have  begun  to  study 
such  things  as  will  have  a  tendency  to  join  the 
people  together  in  social  ties  and  social  bonds, 
which  are  characteristic  of  a  prosperous  and 
growing  people,  and  which  have  so  sadly  been 
neglected  in  the  Negro  race. 

I  am  indeed  glad  that  a  change  is  being 
wrought,  such  a  change  as  will  mark  a  new  era  in 
Negro  civilization,  and  vouch  for  the  perpetuity 
of  the  race. 

Too  long  have  we,  as  a  race,  neglected  those 
principles  which  are  vital  factors  in  the  growth 
and  evolution  of  civilization;  too  long  have  we 
neglected  ourselves  individually;  too  long  ha^we 
we,  as  a  race,  neglected  ourselves  collectively. 

120 


SEEKING  THE  BEST.  121 

And  the  day  will  soon  come  whose  dawning  Is 
already  upon  us  like  the  red  glare  of  the  morning 
sun  upon  the  eastern  horizon,  when  we,  as  a  race, 
must  learn  that  all  our  growth,  all  our  strength, 
and  all  our  prosperity  depends  upon  these  two 
principles — individual  progress  and  social  ameli 
oration. 

These  two  principles  are  vital  factors  in  the 
growth  and  evolution  of  civilization.  Without 
them  states  and  nations  cannot  exist,  empires 
and  kingdoms  must  fall,  and  disorder,  violence, 
and  barbarism  prevail.  They  are  as  essential  to 
the  life  and  growth  of  nations  as  are  the  organs  of 
respiration  to  the  body.  And  permit  me  to  say 
that  it  devolves  upon  us,  as  a  race  whose  growth, 
whose  prosperity,  whose  very  existence  is  at 
stake,  to  look  after  and  study  for  the  develop 
ment  of  these  two  principles. 

It  devolves  upon  us,  as  a  race,  to  advance  our 
selves  individually  and  to  advance  ourselves  col 
lectively  ;  and  if  we  fail  in  this,  then  the  Negro 
race  will  be  a  failure ;  then  will  our  churches,  our 
societies,  and  our  institutions  of  learning  be  void 
of  result.  All  our  labors  will  have  been  in  vain, 
and  the  so-called  "Negro  problem"  must  remain 
forever  unsolved. 


122  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 

I,  for  one,  can  truthfully  say  that  I  have  the 
interest  of  the  Negro  race  at  heart.  I  desire  to 
see  a  new  and  inverted  order  of  things.  I  desire 
to  see  selfishness,  superstition,  envy,  and  mis 
trust  entirely  eliminated  from  the  affairs  of  the 
Negro,  and  in  their  stead  a  broadness  of  mind,  a 
loftiness  of  thought,  a  nobleness  of  character, 
backed  up  by  more  moral  courage  and  strength, 
in  order  that  we  may  be  better  able  to  do  justice 
not  only  to  ourselves,  not  only  to  our  fellow-men, 
not  only  to  the  race  with  which  we  are  connected, 
but  to  the  Almighty  One,  "in  whom  we  live  and 


SELFISHNESS. 


Selfishness  is  a  most  detestable  sin,  and  if  there 
is  any  one  thing  above  another  that  I  desire  to 
see  crushed  in  the  affairs  of  men,  it  is  selfishness. 
It  is  an  evil  or  curse  that  is  as  certain  to  ruin 
the  conditions  of  a  country  or  a  people  as  the  rot 
tenness  of  one  apple  is  to  destroy  a  barrel.  It  is 
as  destructive  to  a  nation  as  wood-worms  to  a 
vessel  that  rides  the  waves  of  the  mighty  deep. 

When  the  motto,  "Everyone  for  himself  and 
no  one  for  his  neighbor,"  is  exercised,  when  per 
sonal  interest  or  advantage  is  the  chief  aim  to 
be  desired,  there  can  be  no  honesty  in  religion, 
politics,  or  trade.  In  the  language  of  another : 
"When  pictures  are  painted  and  books  are  writ 
ten  for  money  alone,  when  laborers  take  no  pleas 
ure  in  their  work  save  for  the  wages  it  brings, 
when  no  enthusiasm  is  shown  in  anything  ex 
cept  the  accumulation  of  wealth,  and  when  all 
the  finer  sentiments  and  nobler  instincts  of  man 
are  made  subject  to  self-worship,  who  is  so  blind 
or  so  mad  as  to  think  good  can  come  of  it?" 


123 


124  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 

slaves;  we  can  hear  th«  cry  for  me.ty  irom  the 
Nothing  but  evil  upon  evil  can  accrue  from  such 
a  system.  And  to-day  let  us  be  warned  against 
it.  Let  selfishness,  above  all  things,  be  elim 
inated  from  the  affairs  of  our  race 


SUPERSTITION,  ENVY,  AND  MISTRUST. 


These  qualities  are  the  enemies  of  progress 
wherever  they  are  exercised  freely,  without  shame 
or  the  consciousness  of  the  harm  there  is  in 
them,  they  are  very  undesirable.  They  are  quali 
ties  inherent  to  too  great  extent  in  the  Negro  race 
to-day.  They  can  be  only  too  plainly  observed 
in  e very-day  life  in  every  city,  town,  village,  or 
hamlet;  in  our  schools,  churches,  conventions — 
in  short,  in  every  organization  where  leadership 
and  confidence  are  necessary ;  and  if  we  ever  hope 
to  become  a  great  people,  if  we  ever  hope  to  re 
ceive  recognition  from  our  superiors  in  culture 
and  refinement,  if  we  ever  hope  to  increase  in 
power,  wealth,  and  worthily  accumulated  things, 
we  must  eliminate  these  unbecoming  and  ungod- 
like  qualities  from  our  minds  and  hearts.  We 
must  have  for  our  motto,  "Not  for  self  alone,  but 
for  others,  do  I  live."  We  must  at  all  times  as 
sist  our  brothers  to  rise,  rather  than  pull  tlieiri 
down. 


EDUCATION. 

Education  develops  enthusiasm  and  the  ap 
preciation  of  lofty  things.  It  has  a  refining  ef 
fect  upon  the  tastes  of  man,  and  not  only  gives 
him  a  better  insight  into  the  beauties  of  nature 
which  surround  him  in  his  daily  life,  making  him 
see  "sermons  in  stones,  books  in  running  brooks, 
and  good  in  everything,"  but  it  also  makes  him 
better  able  to  grappel  with  the  stern  realities,  the 
difficult  problems,  and  the  many  responsibilities 
of  life.  It  can  answer  a  two- fold  purpose  against 
the  enemy:  it  is  both  a  sword  and  a  shield;  and 
it  would  be  well  for  every  American  Negro,  if 
possible,  to  thus  arm  himself.  It  can  secure  more 
.rights  and  privileges  than  the  shotgun  or  the 
ballot-box.  It  is  a  passport  into  the  good  graces 
and  confidence  of  all  men.  Say  what  you  will,  it 
is  the  salvation  of  the  Negro  in  America.  It  is 
the  one  essential  part  necessary  for  the  solution 
of  the  "race  problem,"  and  hence  we  should  not 
hesitate  to  seize  every  opportunity  for  mental  de 
velopment  and  self -culture,  that  we  may  be  bet 
ter,  broader,  and  more  useful  citizens  and  se 
cure  the  respect  and  confidence  of  those  who  too 
often  misjudge  us, 

126 


SEEKING  THE  BEST.  127 

Trained  and  upright  leadership  is  in  great  de 
mand.  \Ve  need  men  of  culture  and  good  char 
acter  in  every  walk  and  community  of  life.  Our 
schools  and  our  pulpits  should  be  filled  with  wise 
and  intelligent  women  and  men,  in  order  that 
they  may  point  out  the  way  clearly  and  inspire 
their  following  with  lofty  thoughts  and  noble  pur 
poses.  We  cannot  have  too  many  such  leaders. 
Our  leaders,  as  a  rule,  are  lacking  the  qualities 
necessary  for  the  culture  and  refinement  of  peo 
ple.  Too  many  of  them  are  unschooled  in  the 
habits  of  honesty  and  uprightness.  They  are  too 
eager  for  self-praise  and  self-aggrandizement.  So 
eager  sometimes  that  they  will  overstep  all  law, 
both  of  God  and  man,  to  satisfy  their  greed  and 
selfish  natures. 

Down  with  such  leaders!  Let  us  establish  a 
new  set.  Let  us  support  men  for  leadership  who 
have  talent  and  preparation,  who  practice  the 
virtues  and  not  the  vices  of  life,  who  are  broad  in 
mind,  lofty  in  thought,  and  noble  in  character; 
men  who  have  moral  courage  and  moral  strength ; 
men  who  are  able  and  willing  to  do  justice,  not 
only  to  themselves,  but  to  their  fellow-men. 
Yes,  men  who  respect  their  word  as  they  do  their 
bond — high-classed,  dignified  men. 

Good  and  great  leaders  are  much  in  demand. 


LET  US  STOP  AND  CONSIDER 


.  It  is  only  too  true  that  we  belong  to  a  down 
trodden  race;  that  we  are  permitted  to  possess 
but  a  few  of  this  world's  goods;  that  we  are 
drawers  of  water  and  hewers  of  wood  for  our 
superiors,  and  all  we  get  we  must  earn  by  the 
sweat  of  our  own  brows ;  but,  my  dear  friends,  I 
am  prepared  to  say  that  more  money  is  made  and 
handled  by  the  Negro  race  than  is  suspected  or 
actually  known. 

There  are  among  our  race  to-day  young  men 
who  have  made  and  spent  small  fortunes  in  the 
last  decade;  made  and  spent  them  lavishly  and 
recklessly;  made  and  spent  them  in  gambling- 
hells  and  vicious  dives  of  sin;  made  and  spent 
them  in  trying  to  keep  up  with  every  foolish  fad 
and  fashion  brought  out.  They,  with  no  little 
credit,  belong  to  the  proudest  race  under  the 
shining  sun,  and  they  have  spent  their  money 
m  wearing  patent  leather  shoes,  standing  collars, 
silk  cravats,  and  the  costliest  clothes  made  by 
hand  of  a  tailor;  and  as  a  results-nothing  is  left 
them. 

128 


SEEKING  THE  BEST.  129 

Young  men,  suppose  we  stop  a  moment  and 
consider  the  .matter.  Let  us  note  the  evil  effects 
that  such  a  standard  of  living  is  having  upon  us. 
We,  as  a  race,  are  very  poor,  and  living  up  to 
such  a  standard  can  only  make  us  poorer.  We 
must  look  more  closely  after  our  nickels  and 
dimes  and  twenty-five-cent  pieces,  and  if  we  have 
to  spend  them,  let  us  do  so  in  support  of  our  lit 
tle  brothers  and  sisters  at  home.  Let  us  spend 
them  on  our  old  gray  haired  fathers  and  mothers, 
who  have  seen  their  best  days,  who  have  long 
reached  and  passed  the  zenith  of  their  lives,  and 
are  now  upon  the  descent  toward  a  second  child 
hood  ;  let  us  spend  them  in  decorating  our  homes, 
in  planting  trees  and  beautiful  flowers  around 
about  our  doors ;  let  us  spend  them  in  buying 
good  books  to  read  in  the  education  of  ourselves ; 
let  us  invest  them  in  savings-banks  and  loan  asso 
ciations,  that  we  may  be  prepared  for  the  rainy 
days  that  are  sure  to  come  when  we  least  expect 
them. 

And  as  we  are  proud,  let  us  continue  to  be  so ; 
but  let  us  also  remember  that  we  are  poor,  and 
that  we  cannot  be  otherwise  so  long  as  we  indulge 
in  this  high  living.  -  Let  us  wean  ourselves  from 
the  habits  of  extravagance,  intemperance,  dissi 
pation,  and  vice. 


A    PRACTICAL    SERMON. 


It  has  often  been  said  that  a  Negro  dwelling- 
house  can  be  recognized  as  far  as  it  can  be  seen. 
\Vhcther  this  be  true  or  not  I  am  unprepared  to 
i^ay ;  but  I  do  know,  and  so  do  you,  that  some  of 
us  are  not  as  neat  and  tidy  around  our  homes  as 
we  might  be.  As  a  rule,  the  front  yards  of  some 
of  our  homes  are  tolerably  nice,  but  by  no  means 
beautiful,  while  the  back  yard  is  a  most  horrible 
sight  to  look  upon.  Oh,  how  awful,  how  repul 
sive,  how  full  of  ugly  sights  and  things  that  have 
no  earthly  value,  are  some  of  our  back  yards ! 

Move  that  box  of  old  shoes,  that  bunch  of 
dirty  rags,  that  old  bucket  of  lime,  that  old  kit  of 
ashes,  that  bottomless  chair,  that  rusty  piece  of 
stovepipe,  that  old  iron  hoop,  that  old  greasy 
slop-barrel,  that  old  rust-eaten  wash-boiler,  that 
old  coal-scuttle,  that  broken  hoe  and  shovel,  that 
rat-trap,  that  sausage-grinder,  that  sawbuck,  that 
stick  of  cordwood,  that  old  broken  washbowl, 
that  old  burnt-out  stove,  that  old  window-sash, 
that  old  door-screen  with  its  rusty  wire  torn  loose, 
that  old  ragged  and  dusty  piece  of  carpet,  that 

m 


SEEKING  THE  BEST  131 

old  chintz  sofa,  that  old  pile  of  boards  full  of 
dangerous  rusty  nails,  that  old  rocking-chair,  that 
old  plow,  that  old  mowing  blade;  move  those 
wretched  sights,  I  say,  and  life  itself  will  be 
brighter  for  you.  The  speculator  will  see  fifty 
percent  more  value  in  your  property,  you  will 
pay  a  debt  you  owe  to  civilization,  and  you  will 
alter,  oh !  ever  so  much,  the  general  opinion,  that 
the  characteristic  of  all  "niggers"  is  to  be  be  low 
and  degraded. 


THINK,    WATCH,    AND  ACT. 


We  do  not  mean  to  speak  disparagingly  of 
our  race,  but  there  are  many  shortcomings  and 
disagreeable  traits  that  might  be  remedied  if 
properly,  or,  in  other  words,  in  a  not  too  critical 
or  offensive  manner  pointed  out. 

Our  people  as  a  race  are  by  no  means  harm 
ful  or  vicious,  as  some  papers  and  persons  of  the 
other  race  are  continually  setting  forth;  but,  on 
the  other  hand,  they  are  ever  aspiring  arrd  have 
good  intentions  deeply  rooted  in  their  nature. 

But  there  is  a  class  who  in  pleasures  and  pas 
times,  social  and  business  dealings,  are  thought 
less  and  short-sighted,  but  not  always  intention 
ally  harmful.  We  know  men  who  hold  high 
places,  both  in  the  social  and  intellectual  world, 
who  stand  out  boldly  and  conspicuously  in  this 
class. 

They  too  often  act  or  speak  before  they  think, 
or,  if  they  do  think,  it  is  only  on  the  momentary 
good  or  pleasure  that  they  hope  to  gain,  They 
lose  sight  of  future  welfare  and  happiness,  and 


132 


SEEKING  THE  BEST.  133 

to  think  in  the  interest  of  the  mass  or  of  the 
other  fellow  is  quite  out  of  the  question. 

It  is  to  this  class  of  persons  principally  that 
we  address  ourselves.  Of  course,  dear  reader,  if 
you  do  not  come  under  this  head,  there  is  no 
reason  whatever  for  you  to  feel  offended.  And 
to  those  who  may  feel  the  force  of  our  utterances, 
there  should  be  no  reason  for  offense,  since  it, is 
in  the  kindliest  spirit  and  for  the  good  of  all  that 
we  speak. 

Now,  with  our  desires  and  intentions  thus  set 
forth,  we  hope  it  is  understood  that  we  are  not 
arrogant  or  assumptive.  We  know  full  well  that 
we  have  not  the  power  or  authority  to  compel 
the  right  cr  to  censure  the  wrong,  but  we  do  feel 
it  our  duty,  as  a  mouthpiece  for  the  people,  to 
kindly  but  firmly  hint  at  some  of  the  many  things 
that  are  holding  us  down  as  a  race  and  are  caus 
ing  us  to  be  branded  as  an  undesirable  and  in 
ferior  people.  Indeed,  there  are  those  of  the  Var- 
daman  and  Tillman  type  who  accuse  us  of  being 
a  wholly  unreliable,  selfish,  envious,  ignorant,  su 
perstitious  people,  void  of  moral  principle  or  even 
common  decency. 

Naturally  this  causes  our  blood  to  boil,  and 
we  resent  it  with  all  the  pride  and  manhood  of 
our  natures.  But  it  is  "up  to"  us  to  study  our- 


134  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 

selves  and  see  how  much  of  this  criticism  is  un 
just  and  untrue,  if  the  other  race  has  any  grounds 
whatever  for  hurling  these  insults  and  bitter  ti 
rades  which  strike  to  the  very  quick  of  our  being. 
It  is  "up  to"  each  individual  to  examine  himself 
thoroughly  and  see  if  he  has  any  one  or  a  dozen 
of  those  undesirable  traits  which  go  to  make  up 
the  sum  total  of  these  bitter  accusations.  A  search 
of  the  person  of  an  honest  man  will  not  hurt. 

Let  us  take  a  fair  and  honest  inventory  of 
our  stock  and  store.  Let  us  go  into  secret  med 
itation  and  find  out  for  ourselves  if  any  of  these 
unworthy  and  ungodlike  qualities  lurk  in  our  na 
tures,  and  if  we  find  them  there,  let  us  relieve  our 
conscience  by  a  secret  resolve  something  like  this : 
"I  will  ever  be  on  my  guard,  and  in  my  dealings 
with  both  my  own  and  other  races,  in  my  con 
duct  on  the  street,  in  public  buildings  and  public 
conveyances,  will  never  do  or  say  anything  to 
reflect  discredit  on  myself  or  my  people." 

"I  fully  realize  that  the  eyes  of  the  world  are 
upon  us,  that  we  are  on  our  good  behavior  as 
men  and  women,  and  that  it  is  "up  to"  us  to 
prove  by  our  conduct  that  these  vicious  attacks 
upon  our  character  as  a  people  are  false  and  an 
awful  injustice  to  us."  Then  if,  after  we  have 
done  our  best,  they  continue  to  malign  and  cen 
sure  us,  we  can  easily  guess  the  reason  why. 


WE   MUST    MAKE    FRIENDS. 


It  is  often  said  by  persons  of  the  other  race 
that  there  is  nothing  in  the  Negro;  that  he  is 
full  of  bluff  and  pretension ;  that  he  is  buoyed  up 
and  carried  along  by  the  great  tide  of  civilization 
in  which  he  chances  to  exist,  and  if  left  upon 
his  own  resources,  he  could  not  stand,  but  would 
fall  as  swiftly  and  as  surely  as  young  birds  hurled 
from  their  nests  ere  the  growth  of  their  wings  is 
complete ;  that,  in  other  words,  his  seeming  prog 
ress  is  not  real,  but  imaginary,  and  no  less  so  to 
him  than  to  many  of  the  other  race,  and  that 
the  day  is  close  at  hand  when  his  strength  is  to 
be  tested. 

Now  the  question  arises,  "Are  we  ready  for 
the  test?"  We  think  that  the  following  figures 
will  prove  much  of  the  real  progress  made  by 
the  Negro  in  the  past  forty  years ;  that  his  growth 
is  steady  and  sure;  and  that  with  a  little  care 
and  caution  along  busmess  lines,  with  an  increase 
of  moral  strength  and  courage,  and  with  a  fuller 
knowledge  and  a  greater  heed  to  the  old  adage, 


135 


136  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 

"Honesty   is   the  best  policy,"   when   the   test 
comes,  he  will  be  equal  to  it. 

These  figures,  as  gleaned  from  the  repoits  of 
the  Presbyterian  General  Assembly  that  was  held 
in  our  city,  will  show  much  of  the  real  progress 
that  the  Negroes  in  this  country  have  made : 

"'Nearly  4,000,000  Negroes  are  engaged  in 
profitable  occupations;  nearly  45  per  cent,  as 
compared  with  37  per  cent  in  the  white  race. 
More  than  7,000  operate  farms;  25  per  cent  of 
these  farms  are  owned  by  the  Negroes  working 
them.  The  records  show  that  the  country  has 
21,000  Negro  carpenters,  20,000  barbers,  15,000 
stone  masons,  10,000  engineers  and  firemen, 
10,000  blacksmiths,  2,000  lawyers,  2,000  dentists, 
and  2,000  preachers." 

This  is  a  splendid  showing.  But  we  must  not 
allow  these  figures  or  statistics  to  delude  or  mis 
lead  us;  we  must  remember  that  we  are  in  the 
midst  of  a  mighty  people,  shrewd,  sagacious,  fore- 
sighted,  and  observing,  and,  at  our  best,  we  will 
be  at  our  wits'  end  to  cope  with  them.  We  must 
learn  to  study  them  as  they  study  us.  We  must 
make  friends  of  them.  How  to  do  this  should 
be  the  uppermost  thought  in  the  minds  of  all 
our  leaders.  Our  first  step  along  this  line  should 
be  to  eliminate  all  prejudice  and  ill-feeling  from-- 


SEEKING  THE  BEST.  137 

our  own  hearts.  We  must  favor  them  wherver 
we  can  without  sacrificing  principles  or  manhood. 
We  must  learn  to  sympathize  more  and  to  rebuke 
less.  We  must  remember  that  a  vast  change  has 
been  wrought  in  our  lives  in  the  last  forty  years. 
Much  has  been  done  for  us,  and  our  murmurings 
and  seeming  ingratitude  tend  only  to  exhaust 
even  the  patience  of  some  of  our  best  friends. 
We  must  study  to  please  and  sympathise  with  the 
other  race.  And  when  we  have  lifted  ourselves 
to  such  a  plane,  they  cannot  oppress  us,  they  can 
not  resist  us;  for  they  are  hunian  and  can  but 
yield  to  the  laws  and  promptings  which  govern 
in  the  human  breast. 


THE  TRIPLE  ALLIANCE  OF  MANHOOD. 


Wherever  I  go,  whatever  I  do,  whatever  I  see, 
I  am  continually  confronted  with  the  question, 
What  constitutes  a  true  man  ?  What  are  the  true 
principles  of  manhood? 

Were  it  not  for  the  fact  that  we  are  dwelling  in 
a  serious  time,  and  that  great  political  truths  are 
constantly  being  sought  and  are  constantly  in 
d«mandA  we  might  allow  these  questions  to  pass 
from  our  view  fnto  philosophical  hands,  where 
some  dreamer  might  meditate  over  them  for  cen 
turies  and  centuries  unmolested.  This  is  impos 
sible;  the  age  demands  their  solution  at  once. 
Something  rrrust  be  done  to  check  the  advance 
of  fraud,  graft,  and  dishonest  practices.  We 
must  choose  the  right  kind  of  men  to  face  the 
coming  issues,  to  lead  us  through  the  coming 
storms ;  men  in  whom  we  can  put  implicit  confi 
dence,  without  fear  of  the  monuments  of  justice, 
mercy,  and  truth  being  trodden  under  foot. 

Wherever  such  a  man  is  found,  in  whatever 
vocation  of  life  he  may  be,  the  world  will  fall  and 
worship  at  his  feet.  In  prder  that  he  may  be 

138 


SEEKING  THE  BEST.  139 

found,  he  must  show  to  the  world  that  he  pos 
sesses  that  properly  developed  manhood,  those 
stern  and  true  principles  which  serve  as  a  becon- 
light  to  a  beautiful  world,  a  blessing  to  mankind. 

Where  can  we  find  manhood  that  will  endure? 
Not  in  the  man  who  has  for  his  motto,  "The  ac 
cumulation  jof  wealth  at  any  price;"  not  in  the 
scholar  who  spends  his  days  in  constant  research, 
and  leaves  nothing  that  will  benefit  the  world  in 
which  he  has  lived;  not  in  the  patriot  who  loves 
his  country  better  than  his  fellow-men,  who  loves 
his  flag  better  than  his  neighbor,  or  who  loves  his 
nation  better  than  he  does  his  God. 

But  where?  In  the  lives  and  principles  of  a 
God-inspired  Lincoln  and  the  honest,  noble,  and 
true  patriots,  Lovejoy,  Sumner,  and  Phillips,  and 
many  other  sincere,  noble,  an  &  Christian  patriots, 
whose  names  live  in  the  history  of  this  country 
and  whose  epitaph  is  written  in  the  hearts  of  men. 

Let  us  go  back  to  the  early  days  of  this  Re 
public  and  study  the  lives  and  characters  of  such 
men  as  these.  Let  us  study  what  they  learned, 
let  us  uphold  what  they  maintained,  let  us  breathe 
the  atmosphere  in  which  they  lived.  Here  we 
will  be  able  to  answer  this  question  which  con 
fronts  us,  and  will  be  able  to  tell  the  world  of  a 


140  SEEKING  THE  BEST, 

noble  alliance  or  combination  which  goes  to  make 
up  a  properly  developed  manhood. 

With  this  question  once  answered  and  con 
stantly  placed  before  the  hosts  of  young  men  and 
women  who  hold  up  the  highest  bulwarks  of  state, 
then  the  solemn,  mysterious  old  philosopher  of 
past  days  need  not,  with  lantern  in  hand,  stroll 
the  streets  of  his  native  city  looking  for  an  honest 
man.  We  need  not  then  hesitate,  we  need  not 
meditate,  we  need  not  then  lament  when  asked, 
"What  is  man,  that  thou  art  mindful  of  him?" 
Regardless  of  sect,  creed,  or  race,  we,  as  Ameri 
can  citizens,  should  lift  our  faces  toward  the  high 
heavens  and  be  thankful  to  God  for  such  noble 
thoughts,  such  noble  principles,  and  such  sublime 
manhood. 

Thankful  to  God  that  we  live  under  the  pro 
tection  of.  the  flag  of  this  country,  where  these 
men  lived  and  died,  let  us  for  a  moment  forget 
the  modern  world  with  its  complex  problems  and 
stern  realities  and  study  the  martyrdom  of  our 
past  history.  "The  future  is  not  dead  to  the 
man  who  has  studied  the  past  ,and  knows  how 
the  present  came  to  be  what  it  is,"  says  Mr.  Mac- 
aulay,  and  I  believe  that  those  same  principles 
which  caused  Grecian  civilization  to  live  and  Ro 
man  liberty  to  flourish,  which  caused  the  Saxons 


SEEKING  THE  BEST.  141 

to  enter  Britain  and  Luther  to  go  to  Rome, 
which  accompanied  the  dying  Swiss  patriots  at 
Margarten  Pass  and  the  Pilgrims  landing  at  Ply 
mouth  Rock,  are  as  sacred  bulwarks  for  the  future 
as  they  have  been  for  the  past.  Grecian  sculpt 
ure  now  lies  buried  in  the  tongueless  silence  of 
the  dreamless  past,  and  only  a  few  remnants  of 
that  glorious  civilization  remain.  The  explorers 
of  the  world  now  dig  for  marble  down  beneath 
the  ruins  of  the  old  Reman  Forum,  Vast  fields 
of  golden  grain  now  wave  in  the  breeze  over  the 
land  where  brave  Spartans  fought  and  died. 

The  pass  of  Thermopylae  now7  welcomes  the 
curious  travelers,  who  go  their  way  mindful  of 
the  braves  who  sleep  on  either  side ;  Saxon  and 
Roman  blood  has  long  since  been  washed  from 
the  fields  of  Hastings ;  but  the  three  principles — 
intellect,  industry,  and  patriotism — which  sur 
vived  those  crucial  periods  in  the  world's  history, 
form  the  great  alliance  on  which  the  destiny  of 
the  world  hangs  to-day.  The  men  whose  names 
are  immortal  in  our  own  dear  history  are  the 
men  in  whose  earthly  tenements  these  principles 
dwelt  ,and  at  whose  death  they  were  left  as  a  rich 
legacy  for  unborn  generations, 

To  know  is  not  to  conquer;  to  work  is  not  to 
conquer;  to  be  tri:§  is  not  to  conquer,  The  young 


142  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 

man  who  led  his  class  in  the  university,  who 
is  graduated  with  the  honors  of  his  class,  and  who 
goes  forth  into  the  world  confident  of  success 
merely  because  of  his  intellect,  is  doomed  to  dis 
appointment.  The  world  owes  him  nothing  for 
his  scholarship;  he  is  in  debt  to  the  world  even 
more  than  his  duller  classmates.  The  young  man 
who  struggles  day  after  day  and  night  after  night 
like  the  beast  of  burden  as  it  plods  its  weary  way, 
with  no  object  in  view,  no  lofty  aims  to  attain, 
with  nothing  to  do  but  work,  is  not  only  a  fail 
ure,  but  he  holds  in  check  the  civilization  of  the 
time  in  which  he  lives. 

The  young  man  who  goes  forth  to  fight  the 
battles  of  his  country  because  he  loves  his  country, 
right  or  wrong,  because  he  wants  to  see  his  coun 
try  gain  dominion  over  all  the  world,  is  not  the 
kind  of  man  our  country  needs  to-day;  such  a 
patriot  is  more  of  a  menace  to  the  commonwealth 
than  the  battleships  of  a  foreign  enemy.  But  the 
young  man  who  carries  with  him  this  triple  alli 
ance  of  intellect,  the  jewel  of  the  soul;  industry, 
the  backbone  of  civilization;  and  a  patriotism 
which  embodies  the  cry,  "My  country  right,  to 
keep  it  right,  and  wrong  to  be  made  right/'  is  the 
individual  who  carries  with  him  the  properly  de- 
velopel  manhood  for  which  the  ages  yearn. 


SEEKING  THE  BEST.  143 

Wrapped  in  such  an  armour,  he  may  be  assailed 
with  the  storms  of  popular  disapprobation  on 
every  hand;  but,  like  the  leader  of  the  God- 
favored  Isrealites,  crying  out  in  the  wilderness, 
he  will  be  borne  up  by  these  principles  and  as 
suredly  he  will  triumph  in  the  end.  Wars  may 
come,  and  he  will  stand  unharmed  in  the  front  of 
battle.  San  Franciscos  may  tremble  from  center 
to  circumference,  they  may  be  dragged  in  the 
mire  of  political  corruption,  and  an  angry  God 
may  sencl  bubonic  plagues  upon  disobedient  citi 
zens  ;  but  he  will  build  up  stronger  and  greater 
municipalities.  The  temples  of  art,  science,  and 
commerce  may  be  destroyed,  but  in  a  few  days 
he  will  build  them  up  again.  Like  a  star  in  the 
darkness* of  night,  he  travels  his  journey  through 
the  thickest  of  the  gloom,  leaving  the  light  of 
truth,  the  glory  of  industry,  and  the  radiance  of 
patriotism  in  his  wake. 

These  are  the  principles  of  manhood  that  will 
endure;  these  are  the  stepping-stones  by  which 
we  may  reach  through  up  to  manhood's  God  and 
learn  "the  divine  love  by  the  human,"  These 
are  the  principles  which  sooner  or  later  witl  c'arjse 
the  former  slave  and  his  master  to  meet  and  clasp 
hands  on  one  common  level. 

This  is  the  alliance  which  will  do  away  with 
the  North,  South,  and  unbounded  West,  the  white 


144  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 

man  and  the  black  man.  It  admits  of  no  sec 
tional  hatred,  no  racial  distinction,  no  previous 
condition  of  servitude. 

I  may  subject  myself  to  severe  criticism  when 
I  say  that  we,  as  a  people,  as  we  grow  in  intellect 
and  industry,  let  us  complete  the  alliance  by 
growing  in  the  love  of  country.  I  am  aware  of 
the  fact  that  there  are  gray-haired  mothers  and 
fathers  under  the  sound  of  my  voice  who  are  still 
brooding  over,  wrongs  they  suffered  during  the 
dark  days  of  American  bondage.  There  are  in 
this  intelligent  audience  this  evening  young  men 
and  young  women  smarting  under  the  humil 
iation  heaped  upon  our  people.  The  modern 
prejudice  imposed  upon  our  people  is  far  more 
threatening  and  foreboding  than  the  dark  and 
sorrowful  bondage  through  which  they  emerged 
in  the  dark  days  of  '61. 

But,  my  friends,  throughout  it  all  let  us  learn 
that  the  Constitution  ,of  our  country  is  capable 
of  a  grander  and  nobler  mission.  Let  us  strive 
to  make  it  what  it  should  be.  Let  us  see  within 
it  only  three  principles,  this  noble  alliance — in 
tellect,  industry,  and  patriotism. 

Let,  Us  love  this  land  of  opportunity  if  it  is  in 
habited  by  people  who  do  not  love  us.  Let  us 
reverence  the  Stars  and  Stripes  if  we  are  not  re- 


SEEKING  THE  BEST.  145 

spected  under  its  folds.  After  all,  is  there  not  a 
just  God  who  is  watching  the  destines  of  His 
people?  Did  He  not  say  to  those  who  would 
suffer  for  the  right,  "Vengeance  is  mine;  I  will 
repay" ! 

I  am  firm  in  my  convictions,  that  if  we  are  in 
dustrious,  intelligent,  and  patriotic  citizens,  doing 
our  duty  toward  God,  home,  and  native  land, 
true  to  one  another  and  true  to  the  principles 
which  have  lived  in  the  past,  there  will  come  forth 
a  modern  Lincoln,  ever  mindful  of  our  honest 
lives,  our  noble  deeds,  and  our  lofty  ideals,  crying 
out  to  our  persecutors  and  to  men  who  would  for 
ever  close  the  door  of  hope  in  our  face,  "Just  so 
far  shalt  thou  go,  and  no  farther."  Then  foreign 
nations  will  cry  out,  "The  true  American  is  the 
black  man  still  wandering  from  the  dark  continent 
of  ignorance  and  oblivion,,  ever  loyal  to  his  coun 
try's  needs." 

They  tell  us,  young  people,  we  cannot  win. 
They  tell  us  God  never  intended  it  to  be  so. 
They  tell  us  the  curse  of  generations  past  and 
generations  yet  unborn  is  written  on  our  fore 
heads.  They  go  still  farther  and  tell  us  that 
from  beneath  our  dark-hued  skins  there  often 
creep  out  in  all  their  hideousness  the  instincts  of 
the  brute,  If  these  accusations  be  false,  let  us  an- 


146  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 

swer  not ;  but  if  we  possess  true  manhood,  we  will 
ask  the  thinking  world  to  enter  us  in  the  race  of 
life.  Like  Rhythmic,  the  blind  steed  who  chal 
lenged  the  admiration  of  the  world  by  winning 
the  grand  Chamber  of  Commerce  stakes  in  the 
city  of  Detroit,  we  cannot  see  the  course  on  which 
we  are  to  race ;  we  cannot  see  the  tape  which  we 
must  cross  to  win.  We  are  blind — blind  to  our 
competitors,  blind  to  our  surroundings,  blind  to 
the  future,  blind  to  the  past,  blind  to  the  present. 
We  hear  the  hisses  of  the  Vardamans  and  Till- 
rnans  on  every  hand.  We  hear  millions  crying 
out  that  the  odds  are  against  us;  we  hear  thou 
sands  predicting  our  defeat.  We  cannot  see  the 
course.  We  feel  that  beneath  our  feet  the  track 
is  firm,  and  we  resolve  to  run  with  patience  the 
race.  The  race  is  on.  We  hear  the  encourage 
ment  of  our  Master,  and  we  place  confidence  in 
His  guidance.  By  intelligence  we  know  the  im 
portance  of  the  occasion;  industry,  the  main 
spring  of  success,  compels  us  to  strain  every 
nerve  to  win ;  and  true  American  patriotism,  true 
American  citizenship,  will  bring  home  the  victory 
in  the  kingdom  of  our  God. 

E.  A.  SHACKELFORD, 


Poems. 


THE   LINCOLN    INSTITUTE   FIRE. 


One  summer  eve,  about  half -past  eight, 
News  came  to  me  which  I  loathe  to  relate ; 
For  northing  more  appalling  to  my  ears  could 

resound 
Than  that  famous  Old  Lincoln  had  burned  to  the 

ground ; 
The  famous  Old  Lincoln,  where  for  years  I  had 

gone, 
The  old-fashioned  building  that  had  stood  there 

so  long. 

I  listened  in  silence,  I  felt  very  sad; 
I  could  form  no  expression,  except  "Tis  too  bad !" 
For  ne'er  did  I  think  that  such  a  rare  i ate 
Our  famous  Old  Lincoln  should  ever  o'ertake; 
The  famous  Old  Lincoln,  with  its  majestic  old 

walls, 
The  old-fashioned  building  and  its  winding  halls. 


149 


150  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 

Daily  I've  sat  there  for  many  terms  past ; 
I  remember  my  first  day  as  well  as  my  last ; 
But  I  can  never  sit  there  in  another  class, 
For  proud  Old  Lincoln  has  seen  her  last; 
That  famous  Old  Lincoln,  that  I  loved  so  well, 
That  old-fashioned  building  and  its  clear-ringing 
bell. 

I  imagine  I  see  her  as  I  climb  the  high  hill, 

I  imagine  I  see  the  architect's  skill; 

But  when  the  truth  dawns,  as  it  always  will, 

Old  Lincoln  lies  there  in  her  ashes  still; 

The  famous  Old  Lincoln  on  her  beautiful  ground, 

The  old-fashioned  building  of  ancient  renown. 

I  loved  her,  I  loved  her,  but  now  she  has  gone, 
To  number  with  buildings  in  a  different  form; 
For  in  ashes  and  cinders,  a  sight  to  alarm, 
Old  Lincoln  was  left  during  a  thunder-storm ; 
The  famous  Old  Lincoln,  the  noblest  in  group, 
The  old-fashioned  building  called  Lincoln 
Institute. 


THE    POETS. 


Oh,  what  fine  and  lofty  feelings, 

Ever  in  the  pool's  mind, 
Like  the  dreams  cf  night  are  stealing! 

For  in  him  a  friend  they  find; 
For  in  him  they  know  they're  welcome 

Even  as  a  thief  they  come. 
He  delights  to  give  expression, 

Love  and  cherish  every  one. 

Love  and  grief  and  desolation, 

Joy  and  pain  and  hope,  despair, 
Find  in  him  a  consolation 

That  cannot  be   found  elsewhere. 
He's  the  chief,  the  king  of  nations, 

Doctor,  lawyer,  priest,  and  seer; 
Helps  the  high  and  low  in  stations, 

Gives  to  all  a  word  in  cheer. 


151 


152  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 

Let  us  praise  our  ancient  Muses, 

Let  us  love  our  modern  ones; 
Let  the  books  the  young  one  uses 

Come  from  God's  inspiring  sons. 
If  you  want  to  see  God's  glory, 

Want  to  sit  around  His  throne, 
Want  to  hear  that  sad  sweet  story, 

Told  by  His  beloved  Son, 
Let  us  listen  to  our  poets, 

As  they  sing  redemption's  song; 
For  God's  love  they  surely  know  it, 

And  with  angels  they  belong. 


OUR    SOULS. 


Oh,  restless  souls  of  men,  pent  up 

In  clayey  shells  on  earth, 
Like  prisoners  there  within  have  lived, 

And  longed  and  pined  since  birth. 
Unhappy  spirits,  they,  bound  up 

In  painful  clayey  moulds, 
Are  subjects  to  the  toils  and  snares, 
And  ills  and  griefs  untold. 

While  in  these  wretched  troubles  hurled, 

They  cry  for  their  release; 
They're  longing  for  sweet  freedom's  sphere, 

They  want  to  dwell  in  peace. 
They  love  the  homeland  of  the  soul, 

They  hate  this  dusty  den, 
They  want  to  join  their  wondrous  whole, 
And  quit  the  walks  of  men. 


153 


154  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 

They're  roused  by  music's  softest  strain, 

By  poet's  sweetest  lay, 
To  try  to  break  the  cords  in  twain, 

Which  keep  them  bound  in  clay. 
Oh,  upward  swift  and  sure  they'd  fly, 

Were't  not  for  earthly  weights. 
They're  ever  struggling  toward  the  sky 

From  things  they  loathe  and  hate. 


"  Say  not  farewell,  my  angel  Love, 

say  not  farewell  to  me; 
It  breaks  my  heart  to  think  of  such, 

O,  Love,  we  must  agree." 


A   LOVER'S    PLEA. 


Say  not  farewell,  my  angel  love, 

Say  not  farewell  to  me; 
Just  wait  a  little  moment,  dear; 

Let's  see  '£  we  can't  agree. 

I  love  you,  Grace,  my  darling  one, 

I  love  with  all  my  heart; 
And  oh,  the  bitter  pain  it  gives 

To  think  that  we  must  part ! 

We've  been  so  much  together,  love, 
We've  spent  such  happy  hours; 

We've  wandered  'mid  the  sylvan  scenes. 
We've  gathered  fruits  and  flowers. 

We've  sat  upon  the  mossy  banks 
Of  silvery  flowing  streams, 

And  told  each  other  of  our  love 
Till  lost  in  blissful  dreams, 


155 


156  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 

Then  must  our  vows  be  broken,  dear, 
And  must  our  hopes  be  dead? 

Are  we  to  part  forever — 
In  spite  of  all  we've  said? 

Say  not  farewell,  my  angel  love, 

Say  not  farewell  to  me; 
It  breaks  my  heart  to  think  of  such — 

Oh,  love,  we  must  agree! 


THE  WAIL  OF  THE  WANDERER. 


Out  on  the  deep  sea  of  life  we're  cast, 
Far  from  out  home  and  friends,  alas! 
Far  from  our  childhood's  haunts  and  scenes, 
Far  from  our  first  life's  happy  dreams ; 
Far  from  a  tender  mother's  care, 
Far  from  our  brothers  and  sisters  dear. 
Out  in  the  world,  so  cold  and  cruel, 
Where  crusts  of  bread  are  costly  jewels; 
Where  fallen  leaves  and  earthly  beds 
Are  welcome  places  for  our  heads. 

Misery,  why  lurk'st  thou  on  our  way? 
Why  hauntest  both  by  night  and  day? 
Are  we  by  fate  to  tortune  doomed  ? 
Are  thus  our  lives  to  be  consumed? 
Is  this  your  mission,  to  destroy 
A  father's  pride,  a  mother's  joy? 
We  once  were  pure  as  the  morning  dew, 
We  yet  have  hearts  so  sad  but  true. 


157 


158  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 

Beneath  these  rags,  all  tattered  and  torn, 
That  cover  the  forms  of  wretches  forlorn, 
Far  from  the  things  of  earthly  care, 
Far  from  the  sins  that  flesh  is  heir, 
Way  deep  down  in  our  humble  hearts, 
Like  smoldering  ashes,  are  manly  sparks. 
Think  not  we're  void  of  heart  or  soul — 
Our  names  may  be  on  Heaven's  roll; 
And  when  the  angel  Gabriel  calls, 
A  host  of  tramps  may  lead  you  all. 


"We  once  were  pure  as  the  morning  dew." 


THE   PASSING  OF   SPAIN. 


Let's  sing  of  Dewey's  wondrous  feat, 

Let's  sing  of  Sampson's  glory, 
And  Hobson's  name  we  must  repeat 

In  telling  this  great  story. 
Who  leads  in  brave  and  noble  deeds? 

Who  is  the  greatest  fighter? 
Which  one  our  country  doth  most  need 

In  making  Cuba  brighter? 

It's  hard  for  anyone  to  say; 

They've  all  been  quite  victorious, 
And  by  and  by  there'll  come  a  day 

When  ends  their  work  laborious. 
By  and  by  there'll  come  a  day 

When  Spain  shall  live  no  longer, 
When  Spanish  rule  and  Spanish  sway 

Must  yield  to  nations  stronger. 

By  and  by  there'll  come  a  day 

When  her  old  banner  tattered 
Must  fall  and  trail  upon  the  clay, 

With  dust  and  blood  bespattered. 
The  Stars  and  Stripes  shall  wave  serene, 

O'er  Cuba  once  benighted, 
And  Spanish  war  and  cruel  scenes 

Can  only  be  recited. 

169 


A   TRIBUTE   TO    LINCOLN    INSTITUTE. 


On  lovely  eves  in  sunny  May 

Our  rapturous  souls  are  borne  away 

To  realms  of  bliss  and  joy  untold, 

By  Nature's  scenes  and  workmen's  mold. 

These  lovely  eves  like  lusty  dreams, 
These  lofty  hills  and  flowing  streams, 
These  flowers  and  lilies  'round  the  brooks, 
These  grassy  plains  and  shady  nooks, 
These  towers  and  turrets  high  and  bold, 
These  dwellings  new,  these  dwellings  old, 
Like  visions  fall  upon  our  gaze 
From  "Lincoln's"  lofty  heights  and  ways. 

We  love  thee,  "Lincoln,"  for  thy  site; 
We  love  thee  for  thy  sweet  delight; 
We  love  thee  for  thy  gentle  breeze; 
We  love  thee  for  thy  spreading  trees; 
We  love  thee  ever  aad  anon, 
Because  thou  art  Dame  Nature's  home, 


160 


SEEKING  THE  BEST.  161 

And  when  we  go  away  from  thee, 
To  fight  upon  life's  rugged  sea, 
When  clouds  of  darkness  'round  us  roll, 
And  hide  from  us  our  waiting  goal, 
We'll  think  of  thee,  O  lovely  place, 
Where  rapture  meets  us  face  to  face. 


THE  DEPLORABLE  END  OF  A  TEN 
CENT    SHOW. 


Twas  on  a  mild  September  day, 
When  autumn  times  were  coming, 

When  men  had  finished  raking  hay, 
And  bees  were  softly  humming, 

That  to  our  town  there  came  a  show- 
As  some  do  still  remember 

With  faces  bright  and  cheeks  aglow— 
With  leaper,  clown,  and  bender. 

When  first  they  came  upon  the  ground, 

Their  plunder  they  unloaded; 
From  carts  and  wagons  strewn  around, 

Their  canvas  they  unfolded. 
Then  men  soon  at  their  tasks  were  uent, 

With  power  and  will  undaunted; 
To  drive  the  stakes  and  hoist  a  tent, 

No  idle  hands  are  wanted. 


162 


SEEKING  THE  BEST.  163 

They  drove  their  stakes  into  the  ground 

With  sledges  large  and  heavy; 
Made  fast  their  ropes  and  laid  them  down, 

Until  a  ring  was  ready. 
And  when  a  ring  was  made  complete, 

They  to  the  center  gathered 
And  raised  a  pole — full  sixty  feet 

In  altitude  it  measured. 

The  pole  was  called  the  center-pole, 

On  'count  of  its  position ; 
Some  other  poles,  called  quarter-poles, 

Had  yet  to  fill  a  mission. 
The  canvas  'round  the  center-pole 

Was  spread  with  unfurled  edges ; 
The  ropes  were  fastened  in  a  hole, 

And  stakes  drove  deep  with  sledges. 

Then  up  the  pole  the  canvas  flew, 

Until  it  reached  its  station ; 
The  other  poles  were  forced  in  too, 

And  made  an  elevation. 
And  now  the  work  was  almost  done, 

Behold  the  great  pavilion ; 
The  curtains  'round  the  sides  were  hung — 

Twould  hold  a  half  a  million. 


164  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 

It  took  about  a  half  an  hour 

To  fix  the  high  trapezes, 
The  springing-board  and  turning-bar, 

And  many  a  thing  that  pleases. 
And  now  the  members  of  the  band, 

Their  part  must  be  remembered; 
They  took  their  drums  and  horns  in  hand 

And  pretty  music  rendered. 

Then  off  they  marched  with  steps  so  gay, 

And  through  the  streets  paraded, 
Some  dressed  in  blue,  some  dressed  in  gray, 

Some  in  garments  old  and  faded. 
And  when  they'd  gone  all  over  town 

And  to  the  tent  returned, 
There  was  a  man  with  red  tights  on 

To  walk  the  rope  we  learned. 

We  waited  but  a  little  while, 

Upon  the  rope  he  hastened, 
And  by  a  pleasant  bow  and  smile 

A  friendly  feeling  wakened. 
We  marveled  at  his  daring  feat, 

We  praised  his  exhibition; 
He*  doing  work  so  nice  and  neat, 

Deserved  a  good  position. 


SEEKING  THE  BEST.  165 

And  now  that  things  had  turned  out  well, 

And  all  the  folks  were  pleased, 
Reserved  seat  cards  they  had  to  sell, 

So  some  in  soft  chairs  eased. 
Good  acting  seemed  to  be  the  aim 

Throughout  the  whole  proceeding; 
They  had  achieved  a  goodly  name, 

Nor  were  they  now  receding. 

The  folks  went  home  that  afternoon 

With  hearts  all  gay  and  lighter; 
They  said  they'd  eat  their  supper  soon, 

And  come  back  looking  brighter. 
They  said  they  knew  the  show'd  be  good, 

They'd  never  see  a  better; 
And  come  that  night  they  swore  they  would, 

In  spite  of  wind  or  weather. 

That  evening  came  and  all  were  there; 

The  tent  was  overflowing 
With  young  and  old,  with  maidens  fair, 

And  little  babes  a-crowing. 
It  was  a  grand  and  glorious  sight 

To  see  the  people  seated 
And  hear  the  titters  of  delight, 
"That  ne'er  might  be  repeated." 


166  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 

The  hour  grew  late;  the  band  began 

To  play  some  pretty  dances; 
They  opened  up  the  night's  program 

By  twirling  of  the  lances. 

Long  ere  the  show  had  thus  begun 

A  storm  had  been  a-brewin'; 
The  clouds  bedimmed  the  setting  sun 

And  threatened  rain  and  ruin. 
So  silently  that  no  one  knew 

Was  it  in  concentration, 
And  like  the  troops  at  Waterloo, 

Leaped  forth  with  desperation. 

The  lightning  flashed,  the  thunder  roared, 

The  wind  began  a-blowing, 
The  rain  in  mighty  torrents  poured, 

And  streams  began  a-flowing. 
Twas  evident  to  those  inside, 

Disaster  soon  would  follow; 
The  women  screamed,  and  children  cried, 

And  men  began  to  hollow, 


SEEKING  THE  BEST.  167 

The  mighty  tent  tossed  to  and  fro, 

Like  waves  upon  the  ocean; 
Began  to  yield  and  weaker  grow, 

From  wind  and  its  commotion ; 
The  center-pole  began  to  lash, 

It  seemed  now  almost  falling; 
Then  all  at  once  a  mighty  crash — 

What  followed  was  appalling! 

For  followed  soon  a  muffled  yell, 

Such  cries  were  quite  distressing; 
"The  moans,  the  groans,  the  dreadful  knell," 

Were  to  one's  soul  depressing. 
The  tent  at  last  had  gone  to  ground ; 

It  could  withstand  no  longer 
The  mighty  winds  which  played  around 

And  ever  waxed  stronger. 

The  people  rushed  towards  the  door, 

They  trampled  on  each  other; 
There  was  a  great  and  loud  uproar, 

And  some  were  about  to  smother. 
And  when  the  clouds  had  all  rolled  by 

And  raining  had  abated, 
And  when  the  wind  had  ceased  to  sigh, 

A  wreck  had  been  created. 


168  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 

And  when  it  all  had  cleared  away, 

Ajnd  when  the  cost  was  reckoned, 
They  found  that  there  was  naught  to  pay, 

For  angels  no  one  beckoned. 
The  folks,  all  wringing  wet  and  sad, 

Were  toward  their  homes  a-groping; 
Some  were  thankful,  and  some  were  mad 

Because  they  got  a  soaking. 

The  moon  up  in  the  skies  serene, 
The  stars  with  eyes  a-twinkling, 

Looked  down  upon  the  wretched  scene, 
A-winking  and  a-blinking. 


LIFE  A  DREAM. 


Life  is  but  a  fleeting  dream, 
Full  of  ever-changing  scenes; 
Full  of  phantoms  and  of  frights, 
Some  few  pleasures  and  delights. 

Sudden  changes,  such  as  when 
Human  creatures  prove  not  men; 
Horrid  visions  'fore  us  rise, 
Things  unpleasant  to  the  eyes. 

Change  of  place  and  change  of  scene 
Add  caprice  unto  this  dream; 
And  we  wander  far  and  wide, 
Crossing  ocean,  stemming  tide. 

Seeing  sights  so  strange  and  new, 
Countries,  places,  people  too; 
Seeing  hills  and  mountains  high, 
Streams  and  rivers  rushing  by. 

Tugs  and  steamers  on  the  seas, 
Birds  and  flowers  'mid  the  breeze; 
Reeds  and  rushes  on  the  sand, 
Houses  built  in  foreign  lands. 

169 


170  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 

Full  of  conflict  and  of  strife, 
Clamoring,  shouting,  "Such  is  life!" 
Pushing,  crowding,  can  be  seen. 
Isn't  it  an  awful  dream? 

Will  this  tumult  ever  cease? 
Shall  we  ever  dwell  in  peace? 
Will  these  visions  ever  end? 
Shall  our  waking  hours  descend? 

Yes,  a  change  must  come  some  day, 
And  'tis  not  so  far  away, 
When  this  lively  dream  shall  pass, 
And  our  troubles  cease  at  last. 

Yes,  we'll  wake  up  by  and  by 
In  the  land  beyond  the  sky; 
In  that  country  bright  and  fair, 
Free  from  sorrow,  free  from  care. 

Life  is  but  a  fleeting  dream, 
Full  of  ever-changing  scenes; 
Full  of  conflict  and  of  strife, 
Clamoring,  shouting,  "Such  is  life!" 


SEEKING  THE  BEST.  171 

SPEAK. 


Who's  who,  pretty  Miss? 
What's  what?    Tell  me  this: 
Who  is  ever  in  your  eye? 
Who  is  it  for  whom  you  sigh? 

Tell  me,  tell  me, 
Ere  I  die, 

Is  it  he,  or  is  it  I  ? 

Why,  why,  pretty  Miss? 
How,  how?     Tell  me  this: 
Can  you  keep  us  two  in  mind, 
And  to  each  of  us  be  kind? 

Tell  me,  tell  me— 
I'll  resign — 

Are  you  his,  or  are  you  mine? 

Where,  where,  pretty  Miss? 
When,  when  ?    Tell  me  this : 
Will  you  ever  speak  the  word 
So  it  might  by  him  be  heard? 

Tell  me,  tell  me, 
Ere  we  part, 

Love  you  me,  have  I  your  heart? 


THE  OLD  SOLDIERS— LET  THEM  TALK. 


Let  the  old  soldiers  talk; 

Let  them  have  their  way; 
Let  them  tell  their  tales  of  strife, 

Of  battle  and  array. 
Let  them  tell  of  victories  won, 

What  noble  stands  they  made, 
How  other  soldiers  fled  their  guns, 

But  with  what  grit  they  stayed. 

Let  them  tell  of  Gettysburg 

And  Missionary  Ridge, 
Of  Fredericktown  or  Chancellorsville, 

Of  Grant  or  Breckenridge. 
Let  them  say  whate'er  they  will, 

Of  fight,  of  fort,  of  siege; 
Of  charging  up  some  rugged  hill 

And  forcing  foe  to  leave. 

Let  them  have  their  annual  meets, 

Let  them  rejoice  and  sing 
The  songs  of  war  and  camp-fire, 

And  do  'most  anything. 
Fling  open  wide  the  public  doors, 

Ope  wide  the  private  home, 
Give  them  a  hearty  welcome, 

When  in  your  midst  they 


SEEKING  THE  BEST.  173 

For  they  have  earned  the  right, 

The  best  that  earth  can  give, 
The  right  to  sing  and  laugh  and  joke, 

The  right  to  look  and  live. 
Then  let  the  old  soldiers  talk, 

Let  them  have  their  way, 
A  few  short  years — it  won't  be  long — 

Ere  they  have  passed  away. 

There's  not  a  knee  but's  bending  now ; 

There's  not  a  head  but's  gray; 
There's  not  a  one  but  totters 

As  he  plods  his  weary  way; 
But  they  are  gay  and  cheerful, 

Do  not  give  up  to  sighs 
As  they  march  in  "double-quick"  step 

To  the  "roll-call"  in  the  skies. 


Then  let  the  old  soldiers  talk; 

Let  them  have  their  way; 
Let  them  sing  and  laugh  and  joke 

Aind  pass  the  time  away. 
'Tis  ours  to  love  and  comfort  them, 

These  few  short  fleeting  years; 
'Tis  theirs  to  boast  of  triumphs  grand, 

Then — ours  to  shed  the  tears, 


174  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 


DANGER    TO    CHINA. 


China!     China!     What  yer  doin'? 
Fixin'  for  your  'mediate  ruin? 
Foolin'  with  our  Uncle  Sam 
Is  a  mighty  silly  plan — 
Uncle  Sam's  a  dangerous  man. 

Shut  within  your  mighty  wall, 
Secure,  you  think,  from  any  fall, 
Don't  deceive  your  little  clan ; 
You  will  lose  'most  every  man, 
Monkeyin'  with  our  Uncle  Sam. 


'Pears  to  me  you'd  better  mind; 
There  are  other  games  to  find, 
'Stead  of  teasin'  Uncle  Sam 
Stop  It,  Stop  it,  yes  you  can. 
Uncle  Sam's  a  dangerous  man. 


SEEKING  THE  BEST.  175 

TIME   THE   HEALER. 


There's  a  cure  for  lowness  of  spirit, 

A  mover  of  many  ills 
Which  seem  at  first  as  mountains, 

But  are  really  only  hills. 

To  the  strong  'tis  a  great  consolation 
To  know  of  this  healer  divine, 

This  curer  of  ills  and  shortcomings, 
This  doctor — your  doctor  and  mine. 

His  balm,  if  we'll  only  take  it, 
Have  patience  and  power  to  wait, 

Will  smooth  o'er  all  our  troubles 
And  cover  all  our  mistakes. 

Have  you  ever  thought  about  it — 
This  healer  of  wounds  divine, 

This  curer  of  ills  and  sorrows, 
This  wonderful  balm  of  time? 

No  matter  how  chagrined  the  feeling, 
No  matter  how  gross  the  misdeed, 

Time  has  a  great  cure  for  trouble, 
A  balm  which  we  all  most  need. 


176  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 

DEEDS    SUPERLATIVE. 


The  sweetest  song  that  e'er  was  sung, 
The  sweetest  tune  that  e'er  was  played, 
Thp  sweetest  word  that  e'er  was  said, 
The  sweetest  speech  that  e'er  was  made, 

Was  sung,  was  played, 

Was  said,  was  made, 
By  Mother. 

The  greatest  wrath  that  e'er  was  'peased 
The  greatest  pain  that  e'er  was  eased, 
The  greatest  sorrow  that  e'er  was  ceased, 
The  deepest  wound  that  e'er  was  healed, 
Was  'peased,  was  eased, 
Was  ceased,  was  hea^d, 
By  Mother. 

The  happiest  days  that  e'er  wire  spent, 
The  sweetest  hours  that  time  e  er  lent, 
The  brightest  light  that  sun  e;er  gave, 
Or  moon  or  stars  o'er  mortals  shed, 
Were  spent,  were  lent, 
Were  giv'n,  were  shed, 
Near  Mother. 


SEEKING  THE  BEST.  177 


CLASS  POEM. 


O  rock-ribb'd  hill!     O  school  sublime! 

What  purpose  is  our  own? 
Is  it  thy  weary  steeps  to  climb, 

In  search  of  things  unknown? 

In  search  of  things,  I  say, 

To  human  mind  or  soul 
To  unfold  life's  uncertain  way, 

And  view  our  unknown  goal  ? 

What  purpose  has  this  sacred  hall, 
Wherein  we  now  have  met? 
Unless  we  heed  our  Master's  call, 
To  pay  in  praise  and  work  our  debt. 

O  rock-ribb'd  hill!     O  school  sublime! 

This  is  our  purpose  grand, 
While  long  and  weary  we  may  climb : 

To  meet  the  world's  demand. 

L.  M.  SHACKELFORD. 


EDITORIAL    COMMENT. 


"Seeking  the  Best,"  by  Otis  M.  Shackelford,  is 
a  book  written  by  a  Missouri  Negro  that  contains 
much  sober  reflection  by  a  young  writer  who  has 
the  courage  to  look  squarely  and  deeply  into  the 
Negro  question. 

The  appeal  that  goes  up  from  the  pages  of  the 
book  is  sound.  Otis  M.  Shackelford  believes  in 
the  Negro  making  an  effort  for  the  moral  better 
ment  of  his  people.  He  believes  that  this  move 
ment  should  be  from  the  inward  instead  of  from 
the  outword.  He  believes  in  the  possibility  of  an 
intellectual  and  moral  evolution. 

With  Tennyson  he  can  hope  for  his  own  race: 

"I  hold  this  truth  with  him  who  sings, 
To  one  clear  harp  in  divers  tones, 
That  men  may  rise  on  stepping  stones, 
Of  their  dead  selves  to  higher  things." 

In  many  pages  the  book  is  marked  by  observa 
tion  and  shrewd  common  sense. — The  Kansas 
City  Post. 

Every  Negro  in  the  West  should  have  in  his 

1.78 


SEEKING  THE  BEST.  179 

home  a  copy  of  "Seeking  the  Best"  and  white 
men  who  want  to  know  something  of  the  race's 
literary  ability  should  read  his  book. — The  Kan 
sas  City  Sun. 

"Seeking  the  Best,"  is  the  production  of  the 
brain  of  Otis  M.  Shackelford,  a  Negro,  and  is  a 
literary  work  of  merit. 

In  it  Mr.  Shackelford  seeks  to  inspire  the 
youth  of  his  own  race  that  there  is  something  in 
life  for  them  to  aspire  to,  and  urges  them  by  his 
own  experience  to  strive  to  raise  themselves 
above  the  conditions  of  the  average  man.  He 
has  an  easy  flow  of  language,  and  his  book  is 
interesting  not  only  to  his  own  people,  but  the 
reading  public. 

His  "verse"  is  above  the  average. — Coffeyville 
Herald. 

In  this  book  Shackelford  has  published  the 
story  of  his  life  and  travels,  and  also  a  number 
of  his  poems,  for  he  has  poetical  aspirations  also. 
Throughout  the  entire  book  the  author  deals  with 
the  uplifting  of  the  members  of  his  race,  and  his 
intention  is  to  inspire  them  with  higher  ideals 
and  loftier  thoughts.  He  gives  advice  along  lines 
which  if  followed  would  raise  the  race  to  higher 
education  and  knowledge — The  University  Mis- 
sourian. 


180  SEEKING  THE  BEST. 

Of  special  interest  is  the  verse  which  forms 
the  second  section  of  thes  book.  An  extended 
poem  in  the  metre  of  "Hiawatha"  is  an  ambi 
tious  effort  and  is  entitled  "Bits  of  History  in 
Verse."  It  contains  lines  of  sincere  poetic  feel 
ing  and  the  versification  is  very  generally  accur 
ate.  Mere  technical  defects  are  to  be  found  in 
most  poems  but  the  lofty  and  earnest  purpose 
of  the  author  of  this  volume,  to  encourage  and 
inspire  the  people  of  his  race,  amply  atones  for 
any  such  to  be  found  in  his  book.  A  number  of 
miscellaneous  poems,  all  bearing  on  some  phase 
of  the  Negro  problem  or  the  history  of  the  race, 
conclude  the  volume.  Several  helpful  essays  are 
scattered  through  the  book,  which  is  well  worthy 
of  careful  persual  by  all  members  of  the  Negro 
race  and  by  the  general  public  as  well." — The 
Kansas  City  Journal. ' 

"Seeking  the  Best"  is  the  title  of  a  volume  of 
autobiography,  verse  and  essays  recently  pub 
lished  by  Otis  M.  Shackelford,  a  Kansas  City 
Negro  of  unusual  attainments*  The  spirit  of  the 
work  is  self-respecting  and  its  purpose  is  to  stim 
ulate  the  youth  of  the  author's  race  into  worthy 
endeavor.  In  the  first  part  of  the  volume  the 
experience  of  the  writer  in  childhood  and  in  gain 
ing  an  education  and  making  a  living  are  inter- 


SEEKING  THE  BEST.  181 

estingly  told.  In  the  pages  devoted  to  verse  is 
an  historical  narrative  poem  of  much  real  merit, 
reciting  the  progress  of  the  Negro  from  slavery 
to  citizenship.  The  verse  form  is  that  of  Long 
fellow's  "Hiawatha"  and  the  language  is  simple, 
straightforward  and  unpretentious.  Essays  and 
shorter  poems  complete  the  book,  which  is  sold 
by  subscription  by  the  author  himself." — The 
Kansas  City  Star. 


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